摘要：Since 1994 the Australian National Polio Reference Laboratory at the Victorian Infectious Diseases ReferenceLaboratory has been responsible for virological confirmation of the eradication of poliomyelitis in Australia. Thelaboratory is also a World Health Organization Western Pacific regional polio reference laboratory and thenational polio laboratory for the Pacific Island countries and for Brunei Darussalam. It is now over two years sincethe last case of poliomyelitis was detected in the Western Pacific region of the World Health Organization. Theco-operation of staff in all laboratories where polioviruses are handled and where samples from acute flaccidparalysis (AFP) patients are submitted is required until Australia and the region can be declared wildpoliovirus-free. The characterisation of all polioviruses isolated in Australia in this reporting period led to theapparent detection of a non Sabin vaccine-like poliovirus in an environmental sample. The virus was found to beidentical to a laboratory control isolate by sequencing. The environmental virus is therefore characterised as acontaminant, not a wild isolate. The investigation is outlined in this article, as well as the results of investigation andcharacterisation of all referred polioviruses
