A system of nomenclature for poliovirus strains: a WHO Memorandum*

7tMemoranda are state- Les Mimorandums I AX,114/ ments concerning the exposent les conclu-AlVZ emoran a, conclusionsorrecom- sions et recomman- mendations of certain dations de certaines WHO scientific meet- reunions scientifiquesAlMemorandu s ings; they are signed de l'OMS; ils sontby the participants in signes par les partici- the meeting. pants a ces reunions. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 59 (6): 853-854 (1981) A system of nomenclature for poliovirus strains: a WHO Memorandum* As a result ofrecent developments in the biological and biochemical characterization of polioviruses, intratypic differentiation of poliovirus strains has become a powerful epi- demiological tool. However, use ofthis toolshould be linked with a better system ofnomen- clature. It is recommended thatfuture poliovirus isolates should be identified by type, country (or city), strain number, and year of isolation. The system should be applied universally from the time ofpublication of this Memorandum. In 1951 the Committee on Typing of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis reported that polioviruses could be assigned to one of three sero- logical types. Subsequently, Wenner et al. (1) demonstrated intratypic antigenic differences by means of serodifferentiation tests. Although the dif- ferentiation techniques were further refined by McBride (2) and Nakano & Gelfand (3), most studies have been limited to strains from vaccine-associated cases of poliomyelitis, because of the difficulty of obtaining suitably specific sera. The development of absorbed, highly specific sera (4) and T1 oligonucleotide mapping procedures (5, 6) has now made possible the positive identification of relationships between poliovirus strains. The application of these methods to the epidemio- logy of poliovirus strains has shown that recent cases of type 1 poliomyelitis in Canada, the Netherlands, and the USA (7, 8) had a common strain origin (6), and were related to poliovirus strains isolated from poliomyelitis cases in some African and Asian coun- tries (van Wezel, personal communication, 1981), and also that all recent type 3 poliovirus isolates from the United Kingdom were related to the current vaccine strain (9). The ability to identify strains serologically and biochemically is of considerable importance, but a better system of nomenclature is required. * This Memorandum was drafted by the signatories listed below at a meeting in London in October 1980. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Chief, Virus Diseases, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. A French translation is given on pages 855-856. It is proposed that future poliovirus isolates should be identified by type, country (or city), strain number, and year of isolation. Thus P1/Hong Kong/15/81 indicates a type 1 poliovirus, strain 15, isolated in Hong Kong in 1981. It is recommended that this system of nomenclature should be used henceforth for all newly described poliovirus strains. * * * F. Assaad, Virus Diseases, World Health Organiz- ation, Geneva, Switzerland M. Bottiger, Department of Epidemiology, National Bacteriological Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden I. Domok, Division of Epidemiology and Micro- biology, National Institute of Hygiene, Budapest, Hungary M. H. Hatch, Virology Division, Center for Infec- tious Disease, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, USA 0. M. Kew, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, USA D. I. Magrath, Division of Viral Products, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Hampstead, London, England 4123 -853- 854 WHO MEMORANDUM P. D. Minor, National Institute for Biological Stan- dards and Control, Hampstead, London, England F. Obijeski, Viral Exanthems Branch, Virology Div- ision, Bureau of Laboratories, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, USA F. Perkins, Biologicals, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland P. Reeve, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Hampstead, London, England G. C. Schild, WHO Collaborating Centre for Standardization of Viral Products, National Insti- tute for Biological Standards and Control, Hampstead, London, England I. Tagaya, National Institute of Health, Tokyo, Japan A. L. van Wezel, Rijks Instituut voor de Volks- gezondheid, Bilthoven, The Netherlands REFERENCES 1. WENNER, H. A. ET AL. Americanjournal ofhygiene, 70: 66-90 (1959). 2. MCBRIDE, W. D. Virology, 7: 45-58 (1959). 3. NAKANO, J. H. & GELFAND, H. M. American journal of hygiene, 75: 363-376 (1962). 4. VAN WEZEL, A. L. & HAZENDONK, A. G. Intervirology, 11: 2-8 (1979). 5. MINOR, P. D. Journal of virology, 34: 73-84 (1980). 6. NOTTAY, B. K. ET AL. Virology, 108: 405-423 (1981). 7. BIJKERK, H. Developments in biological standardiz- ation, 43: 195-206 (1979). 8. FURESZ, J. ET AL. Lancet, 2: 1248 (1978). 9. MINOR, P. D. (in press, 1982). Bulletin de l'Organisation mondiale de la SantO, 59 (6): 855-856 (1981) Systeme de nomenclature pour les souches de poliovirus: Memorandum OMS* Gr&ce aux resultats de progres recents dans la caracterisation biologique et bio- chimique du poliovirus, la diffe'renciation intratypique des souches est devenue un outil dgpid6'miologique tres pr&cieux. Cependant, l'utilisation de cet outil doit etre associde d un meilleur systeme de nomenclature. II est recommande' qu'd l'avenir les isolements de poliovirus soient identifies par le type, lepays (ou la ville), le numero de la souche et l'ann6'e de l'isolement. Ce systeme doit Otre applique de maniere universelle a partir de la publication du prdsent Memorandum. En 1951, le Committee on Typing of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis a communique que les poliovirus devaient etre repartis dans un des trois types s6rologiques. Plus tard, Wenner et ses col- laborateurs (1) ont mis en evidence des differences antig6niques intratypiques au moyen d'epreuves de s6rodiff6renciation. Bien que les techniques de diffe- renciation aient e ensuite perfectionn&es par McBride (12) ainsi que Nakano et Gelfand (3), la plupart des etudes ont porte uniquement sur des souches provenant de cas de poliomyelite associe's A la vaccination, en raison de la difficulte d'obtenir des serums sp6cifiques convenables. La mise au point de serums absorbes hautement specifiques (4) et de methodes d'etablissement de cartes des oligonucleotides obtenus par action de la ribonucl6ase Ti (5, 6) a permis la determination des relations entre souches de poliovirus. L'application de ces methodes A 1'epidemiologie des souches de poliovirus a r6v&le que les cas recents de poliomyelite de type 1 au Canada, aux Etats-Unis d'Amerique, et aux Pays-Bas (7, 8) avaient pour origine une souche commune (6), apparentee aux souches de poliovirus isolees de cas de poliomyelite dans certains pays d'Afrique et d'Asie (van Wezel, communication personnelle, 1981), et egalement que tous les r6cents isolements de poliovirus de type 3 dans le Royaume-Uni etaient apparentes A la souche vaccinale courante (9). II est extremement important d'etre capable d'identifier les souches serologique- ment et biochimiquement, mais un meilleur systeme de nomenclature est necessaire. II est propose qu'A l'avenir les isolements de poliovirus soient identifies par le type, le pays (ou la ville), le numero de la souche, et l'annee de l'isole- * Ce M6morandum a 6te pr6pare par les signataires dont les noms figurent ci-apres, a l'occasion d'une r6union d'un groupe d'experts a Londres en octobre 1980. Les demandes de tires a part doivent etre adress6es au Chef du service des Maladies a Virus, Organisation mondiale de la Sante, 1211 Geneve 27, Suisse. On trouvera l'article original en anglais aux pales 853-854. ment. Ainsi, P1/Hong Kong/15/81 indique qu'il s'agit d'un poliovirus de type 1, souche 15, isole en Hong Kong en 1981. II est recommande que ce systeme de nomenclature soit dorenavant utilise pour toutes les souches de poliovirus nouvellement decrites. * * F. Assaad, service des Maladies a Virus, Organisa- tion mondiale de la Sante, Geneve, Suisse M. Battiger, Departement d'Epidemiologie, Labora- toire national de Bacteriologie, Stockholm, Suede I. D6m6k, Division d'Epidemiologie et de Microbio- logie, Institut national d'Hygiene, Budapest, Hongrie M. H. Hatch, Virology Division, Center for Infec- tious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, Etats-Unis d'Amerique 0. M. Kew, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, Etats-Unis d'Am6rique D. I. Magrath, Division of Viral Products, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Hampstead, Londres, Angleterre P. D. Minor, National Institute for Biological Stan- dards and Control, Hampstead, Londres, Angle- terre F. Obijeski, Viral Exanthems Branch, Virology Div- ision, Bureau of Laboratories, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, Etats-Unis d'Amerique F. Perkins, service des Produits biologiques, Organi- sation mondiale de la Sante, Geneve, Suisse P. Reeve, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Hampstead, Londres, Angleterre 4124 855- 856 MtMORANDUM OMS G. C. Schild, Centre collaborateur OMS pour la standardisation des produits viraux, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Hampstead, Londres, Angleterre I. Tagaya, Institut national de la Sante, Tokyo, Japon A. L. van Wezel, Rijks Instituut voor de Volks- gezondheid, Bilthoven, Pays-Bas BIBLIOGRAPHIE 1. WENNER, H. A. ET AL. American journal of hygiene, 70: 66-90 (1959). 2. McBRIDE, W. D. Virology, 7: 45-58 (1959). 3. NAKANO, J. H. & GELFAND, H. M. American journal of hygiene, 75: 363-376 (1962). 4. VAN WEZEL, A. L. & HAZENDONK, A. G. Inter- virology, 11: 2-8 (1979). 5. MINOR, P. D. Journal of virology, 34: 73-84 (1980). 6. NOTTAY, B. K. ET AL. Virology, 108: 405-423 (1981). 7. BIJKERK, H. Developments in biological standardiz- ation, 43: 195-206 (1979). 8. FURESZ, J. ET AL. Lancet, 2: 1248 (1978). 9. MINOR, P. D. (sous presse, 1982).