Assessment of expertise in morphological identification of mosquito species (Diptera, Culicidae) using photomicrographs.

Accurate identification of insect species is an indispensable and challenging requirement for every entomologist, particularly if the species is involved in disease outbreaks. The European MediLabSecure project designed an identification (ID) exercise available to any willing participant with the aim of assessing and improving knowledge in mosquito taxonomy. The exercise was based on high-definition photomicrographs of mosquitoes (26 adult females and 12 larvae) collected from the western Palaearctic.

Identification of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae): an external quality assessment of medical entomology laboratories in the MediLabSecure Network.

Background: Identification of vectors is of prime importance in the field of medical entomology for both operational and research purposes. An external quality assessment of mosquito identification capacities was carried out within the MediLabSecure Network, which is composed of laboratories located in 19 countries close to the European Union around the Mediterranean and Black seas.

Methods: A set of blind samples consisting of 7 or 8 adult mosquitoes and 4 larvae was given to each participant laboratory.

Comparison of Directigen Flu A+B with Real Time PCR in the Diagnosis of Influenza.

Unlabelled: Early diagnosis and treatment of patients with influenza is the reason why physicians need rapid high-sensitivity influenza diagnostic tests that require no complex lab equipment and can be performed and interpreted within 15 min. The Aim of this study was to compare the rapid Directigen Flu A+B test with real time PCR for detection of influenza viruses in the Republic of Macedonia.

Materials And Methods: One-hundred-eight respiratory samples (combined nose and throat swabs) were routinely collected for detection of influenza virus during influenza seasons.

Methods for molecular surveillance of influenza used in Macedonia.

The Aim: To present and compare different Nucleic Acid Testing assays used for laboratory diagnosis of influenza virus infection in our country.

Materials And Methods: Respiratory samples used were nose and throat swabs. The RNA extraction was performed with a QIAamp viral RNA kit.

Laboratory surveillance during pandemic influenza season 2009/2010 in Republic of Macedonia.

Objective: To provide virological and epidemiological information on patients laboratory-tested for influenza A/ H1N1pdm during the pandemic season April 2009/May 2010.

Materials And Methods: Demographic and other data were obtained from the request form arriving with the samples of patients whose symptoms met the clinical definition of influenza A infection. The RNA was tested for the presence of influenza virus using the CDC real-time RT-PCR assay.