Useful For

Measles (rubeola), a member of the paramyxovirus group, is a highly

communicable airborne disease (1, 2, 3, 4). At one time measles was a very

common childhood disease, but the introduction of a vaccine in 1963 and the

subsequent vaccination programs of the late 1970s drastically reduced the

number of reported cases. However, even with these efforts the disease has not

been totally eliminated (5, 6). There has been a recent shift in the susceptible

population toward young adults either as a result of their failure to be

vaccinated as children, the ineffective use of the vaccine, or in certain cases the

actual failure of the vaccine itself (7, 6). If individuals vaccinated at younger than

15 months are not revaccinated, they too may be susceptible to measles

infection (6). An expectant mother, not immune to measles, is therefore unable

to transfer passive immunity to her newborn leaving the child vulnerable to

measles infection at birth. Thus, serological testing has become increasingly

important for determining an individual's immune status. The detection of IgG

antibody to measles can be used to show immunity and detect seroconversion.

In the past, the immune status of an individual for measles has been determined

by hemagglutination inhibition (HAI), indirect fluorescent antibodies (IFA), and

enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assays (ELISA)

Sources available from the package insert