[Laboratory diagnosis of epidemic polyarthritis (Ross River virus) in New Caledonia]

During an outbreak of arboviral diseases in the South-West Pacific islands, from 1979 to 1980, patients sera examined in New Caledonia revealed 43 cases of epidemic polyarthritis due to Ross River virus. Viral strains were obtained from 16 of these patients. After isolation of the virus in newborn mice, the inoculation of C6/36, PS-EK and Vero cells allowed the identification of these strains by hemagglutination inhibition and complement fixation tests. This was the first time that cases of polyarthritis caused by RR virus were observed in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.