Table 1.

Syndromes and age groups targeted for surveillance, samples collected for each syndrome, and processing of specimens: integrated vaccine-preventable disease surveillance system, Costa Rica, September 2009–August 2010.

Syndrome	Age group targeted for surveillance	Specimen type(s)	Laboratory diagnostic procedures	Etiologic agents evaluated	Processing lab location
Meningitis	<5 years	Cerebrospinal fluid, blood	Gram stain, latex agglutination test, culture, typing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing	S. pneumoniae, N. meningitidis, H. influenzae, other Streptococcus	Sentinel hospital laboratory, INCIENSA
Acute flaccid paralysis	<15 years	Stool	PCR Viral isolation	Poliovirus Poliovirus	INCIENSA INCIENSA, international/regional reference laboratory
Severe acute diarrhea	<5 years	Stool	Latex agglutination test ELISA	Rotavirus Rotavirus	Sentinel hospital INCIENSA
Rash and fever illness	All ages	Blood	ELISA Genotyping	Measles/rubella/dengue Measles/rubella	INCIENSA INCIENSA
Severe acute respiratory illness	≥5 years	Nasopharingeal/oropharingeal aspirate	Chest radiograph, blood culture	S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae B. pertussis, influenza virus, respiratory syncitial virus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus types 1–3	Sentinel hospital laboratory INCIENSA
	<5 years	Nasopharingeal/oropharingeal aspirate, blood, chest X-ray	Immunofluorescence, PCR, viral isolation

Note. PCR: polymerase chain reaction; ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.