Epidemiology of rubella infection and genotyping of rubella virus in Cote d’Ivoire, 2012‐2016

Rubella is a contagious disease caused by the rubella virus (RuV) that can lead to serious birth defects when women are infected in early pregnancy. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and genetic diversity of rubella viruses in Cote d’Ivoire (CIV). Blood or oral fluid samples collected from suspected measles cases were first tested for the presence of measles specific IgM antibodies by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All measles IgM negative or indeterminate samples were tested for rubella IgM antibody using ELISA. Rubella‐IgM–positive samples were tested by real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) for the presence of rubella virus RNA. Real‐time RT‐PCR–positive RNA samples were used as template to amplify the 739 nt region used for rubella genotyping. PCR‐positive samples were sequenced and phylogenetic analysis performed. Between 2012 and 2016, 4121 serums and 126 oral fluids were collected through the measles surveillance system. Of these, 3823 and 108 respectively were measles IgM negative or indeterminate. Subsequent testing for rubella found that 690 of 3823 (18%) serum samples and 25 of 108 (23%) oral fluid samples were rubella IgM‐positive. The 739 nt segment of the E1 glycoprotein gene was amplified and sequenced for two serums and seven oral fluids samples. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the rubella viruses from CIV belonged to genotypes 1G (eight samples) and 2B (one sample). Rubella virus genotype 2B was found in CIV for the first time. These data contribute to baseline information on rubella virus strains found in CIV before the introduction of rubella vaccine.