Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Feb 18:10:269.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00269. eCollection 2019.

The Association Between Documentation of Koplik Spots and Laboratory Diagnosis of Measles and Other Rash Diseases in a National Measles Surveillance Program in Japan

Hirokazu Kimura  1   2   3 , Komei Shirabe  4 , Makoto Takeda  5 , Miho Kobayashi  6 , Hiroyuki Tsukagoshi  6 , Kaori Okayama  2 , Akihide Ryo  3 , Koo Nagasawa  1   7 , Nobuhiko Okabe  3   8 , Hiroko Minagawa  9 , Kunihisa Kozawa  3
Affiliations

The Association Between Documentation of Koplik Spots and Laboratory Diagnosis of Measles and Other Rash Diseases in a National Measles Surveillance Program in Japan

Hirokazu Kimura et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

Koplik spots are considered a disease-specific sign for measles, although comprehensive virological studies have not been conducted to date. In Japan, a national survey of 3023 measles and measles-suspected cases was conducted between 2009 and 2014 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) to detect various rash/fever-associated viruses. Koplik spots were observed in 717 of 3023 cases (23.7%). Among these, the measles virus was detected in 202 cases (28.2%), while the rubella virus was detected in 125 cases (17.4%). Other viruses were detected in 51 cases having the spots (7.1%). In some of the cases with spots, two or three viruses, such as the rubella virus, parvovirus, and human herpesvirus type 6 were also detected. The sensitivity and specificity of Koplik spots as a diagnostic marker for measles were 48 and 80%, respectively. The results suggested that Koplik spots might appear not only in measles but also in other viral infections, such as rubella, as a clinical sign.

Keywords: Koplik spots; RT-PCR; measles; rash and fever; viral infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Annunziato D. (1987). Koplik spots and echo 9 virus. N. Y. State J. Med. 87:667. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2008). Progress toward measles elimination–Japan, 1999-2008. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 57 1049–1052. - PubMed
    1. Cherry J. D. (2004). “Rubella virus,” in Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 5th Edn, eds Feigin R. D., Cherry J. D., Demmler G. J., Kaplan S. L. (Pennsylvania, PA: Saunders; ), 2134–2162.
    1. Evans L. M., Grossman M. E., Gregory N. (1992). Koplik spots and a purpuric eruption associated with parvovirus B19 infection. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 27 466–467. 10.1016/S0190-9622(08)80888-21 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Griffin D. E. (2013). “Measles viruses,” in Fields Virology, 6th Edn, eds Knipe D. M., Howley P. M. (Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; ), 1042–1069.

LinkOut - more resources