Differential diagnosis of measles virus, wild type (D8 and other circulating variants) or vaccine virus, in the period after the COVID-19 pandemic in Sa¿o Paulo

• Grant number: 24/21486-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Edison Luiz Durigon
• Grantee: Beatriz Silva Godoi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/07746-0 - Drug discovery against human viral infectious diseases, AP.TEM

Abstract

Measles is a serious and contagious disease caused by a virus named Measles Virus. Until 10/25/2019, 5,660 cases were confirmed in Brazil and, of these, 90.5% (5,123) were from the State of Sa¿o Paulo. In this scenario, there is a need for cheaper, faster and more affordable techniques for diagnosing the disease, as symptoms are nonspecific and may even arise in newly vaccinated people. Thus, this paper proposes to perform virus diagnosis and typing by a duplex for real-time PCR instead of conventional PCR and sequencing, which are the most widely used techniques today. Therefore, it is expected that this change will help to define the medical conduct in each case, resulting in a more effective blockade in the transmission chain of this virus.