- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Laboratory diagnostic tests
- Sampling for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) diagnostic tests
- Recommendations for laboratories testing by PCR for presence of SARS coronavirus -RNA
- Update 31 - Coronavirus never before seen in humans is the cause of SARS
- PCR primers for SARS developed by WHO Network Laboratories
- Multi-centre Collaborative Network: Laboratories testing for SARS
Identification of the SARS causative agent and the development of a diagnostic test are of paramount importance. Detection of disease in its early stage, understanding its pathways of transmission and implementing disease specific prevention measures are dependent upon swift progress and results in aetiological and diagnostic research.
On 17 March 2003, WHO called upon 11 laboratories in 9 countries to join a collaborative multi-center research project on SARS diagnosis. This network takes advantage of modern communication technologies (e-mail; secure web site) to share outcomes of investigation of clinical samples from SARS cases in real time. Daily assessment of research results supports immediate refinement of investigative strategies and permits instant validation of laboratory findings. Network members share on the secure WHO web site electron microscopic pictures of viruses, sequences of genetic material for virus identification and characterization, virus isolates, various samples from patients and post-mortem tissues. Samples from one and the same patient can be analysed in parallel in several laboratories and results shared in real time. This network joins the intellectual resources of leading laboratories worldwide for a common goal: the detection of the SARS agent and the development of a diagnostic test.
WHO initiated the establishment of this network. It functions because of the extraordinary willingness for collaboration of its members who should be given full credit for the achievement of this network.
Network members:
- Bernhard Nocht Institut for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg
Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 74
Hamburg, D-20359
Germany
(in collaboration with the Institutes for Virology, University Frankfurt and University Marburg) - Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
National Centers for Infectious Diseases
1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop G16
Bldg 7, Room 111
Atlanta, Georgia 30333
United States - Erasmus Universiteit, National Influenza Centre
Dr Molewaterplein 50, P. O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
The Netherlands
for more information - Government Virus Unit
9/F Public Health Laboratory Centre
382 Nam Cheong Street
Shek Kip Mei
Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
China - Guangdong Center for Disease Control & Prevention
176 West Xingang Road
Guangzhou 510300
China - Institut Pasteur
Head of Unit, Unité de Génétique Moléculaire des Virus Respiratoires
National Influenza Center (Northern-France),
25 rue du Docteur Roux
Cedex 15 F-75724 Paris
France - National Institute of Infectious Diseases
Department of Viral Diseases and Vaccine Control
Gakuen 4-7-1
Musashi-Murayama-shi
Tokyo
JP-208 0011
Japan
for more information - National Microbiology Laboratory
Population Pubic Health Branch
Health Canada
1015 Arlington Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3R2
Canada - Public Health Laboratory Service
Central Public Health Laboratory
61 Colindale Avenue
London NW9 5HT
United Kingdom - University of Hong Kong Faculty of Medicine
University Pathology Building
Queen Mary Hospital
Hong Kong SAR
China - Virological Institute
Chinese Center for Disease Control & Prevention
Yinxin Road 100
Beijing 100052
China - Virology Laboratory
Department of Microbiology
Faculty of Medicine
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Prince of Wales Hospital
Shatin, Hong Kong SAR
China - Virology Unit
Singapore General Hospital
Outram Road
169 608
Singapore
Contact details:
SARSetiology@who.int
