Report of the 11th meeting of the WHO Working Group for the Molecular Detection and Subtyping of Influenza Viruses and the use of NGS in GISRS

Overview

The Global Influenza Surveillance and Response system (GISRS) is a network of global public health laboratories (PHLs) coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Amongst its many roles, GISRS provides guidance on the use of molecular technologies for the detection of seasonal and non-seasonal influenza viruses. The current method of choice for the rapid and accurate detection of influenza viruses is the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay. Due to the frequency at which the influenza virus genome undergoes mutation, it is essential to monitor and update rRT-PCR primer sets and protocols to maintain sensitivity and precision in influenza virus detection and screening. In addition, new technologies, like high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS), which allows for the accumulation of large volumes of molecular data, provide great opportunities to inform decision making in vaccine development, antiviral use, and pandemic response strategies. The role of the WHO working group for the molecular detection and subtyping of influenza viruses and the use of NGS in GISRS (the PCR Working Group)1 is to act as an expert technical group to advise GISRS on developments in molecular technologies and to ensure standards and protocols are maintained and updated. In December 2019 the first case of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected in Wuhan City, China. Since then, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread around the world leading to the second global pandemic of the 21st century. The need for rapid screening and detection of the novel SARS-CoV-2 and its impact upon influenza surveillance has further emphasized the importance of the GISRS network as well as the technical expertise of the PCR Working Group.