Neutralization of Rubella Vaccine Virus and Immunodeficiency-Related Vaccine-Derived Rubella Viruses by Intravenous Immunoglobulins.

The association between granulomas and vaccine-derived rubella virus (VDRV) in people with primary immunodeficiencies has raised concerns about the ability of immunoglobulin preparations to neutralize VDRVs. We investigated the capacity of immunoglobulin to neutralize rubella vaccine virus and 4 VDRV strains. As expected, the rubella vaccine virus itself was potently neutralized by immunoglobulin preparations, but the VDRV isolates from patients after intrahost evolution, 2-6 times less so. Diagnosis of immune deficiencies before possible live-virus vaccination is thus of critical importance, while immunoglobulin replacement therapy can be expected to provide protection from rubella virus infection.

The occurrence of granulomas associated with vaccine-derived rubella viruses (VDRVs) in people with primary immunodeficiencies challenges immunoglobulin preparations regarding their rubella neutralizing ability. This study confirmed potent rubella virus neutralization capacity of immunoglobulin preparations and thus suggests protection against rubella in immunoglobulin-treated patients with primary immunodeficiency. It also highlights the importance of early diagnosis and timely given immunoglobulin to prevent possible systemic spread of VDRV persisting locally in granulomas.

Rubella virus-associated necrotizing neutrophilic granuloma in a patient with common variable immunodeficiency.

Patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) may develop granulomas in multiple organ systems including the skin. Vaccine strain rubella virus (RuV), part of the live attenuated measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, has been identified within these granulomas. RuV is typically found in macrophages; however, recently neutrophils have been identified as a novel cell type infected. Here, we present a case of RuV-associated cutaneous granuloma with RuV localized to neutrophils. A 46-year-old female with common variable immunodeficiency presented with verrucous papules and crusted plaques from the right knee to the distal shin of 20 years duration, associated with prior physical trauma. Biopsy specimen showed palisaded granulomas surrounding central necrosis with scattered aggregates of neutrophils. Vaccine-derived RuV was detected by molecular sequencing in lesional skin. Fluorescent immunohistochemistry with CD206, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and RV capsid (RVC) antibodies demonstrated that RuV localized to neutrophils but not macrophages. The clinical presentation, cutaneous findings, and likely presence of RVC-positive granulocytes in bone marrow provide potential support to the evolving hypothesis of persistent RuV within neutrophils contributing to chronic granulomatous inflammation in a milieu of immune dysregulation.

Diagnostic and Immunologic Testing for Varicella in the Era of High-Impact Varicella Vaccination: An Evolving Problem.

The clinical presentation of varicella in unvaccinated persons, with skin vesicles and scabs, has facilitated the use of rapid diagnostic methods for confirming disease. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are the diagnostic method of choice. The sharp decline in unmodified cases of varicella due to the US varicella vaccination program has led to fewer healthcare providers being familiar with varicella presentation and an increased reliance on laboratory diagnosis to confirm suspected cases. The mild, atypical presentation of the disease in vaccinated persons (fewer skin lesions, mostly maculopapular) has made it more challenging for providers to recognize and also to collect samples to detect the virus. Nonetheless, PCR is highly sensitive and specific in confirming modified disease if adequate samples are provided. While a positive PCR result is confirmatory, interpreting a negative result can prove to be more challenging in determining whether suspected varicella is falsely negative or attributable to other causes. Enhanced education of healthcare providers is critical for adequate specimen collection from modified varicella cases. In addition, more sensitive commercial serologic assays are needed in the United States for varicella immunity testing in the vaccine era.

ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Matonaviridae 2022.

The family Matonaviridae comprises enveloped viruses with positive-sense RNA genomes of 9.6-10 kb. The genus Rubivirus includes rubella virus (species Rubivirus rubellae) infecting humans, ruhugu virus (species Rubivirus ruteetense) infecting bats and rustrela virus (species Rubivirus strelense) infecting rodents and zoo animals. Rubella virus is spread via droplets. Postnatal infection leads to benign disease with rash and fever. Infection of seronegative women with rubella virus during the first trimester of pregnancy will often result in severe foetal malformations, known as congenital rubella syndrome. Vaccines are globally available. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the family Matonaviridae, which is available at ictv.global/report/matonaviridae.

Infectious vaccine-derived rubella viruses emerge, persist, and evolve in cutaneous granulomas of children with primary immunodeficiencies.

Rubella viruses (RV) have been found in an association with granulomas in children with primary immune deficiencies (PID). Here, we report the recovery and characterization of infectious immunodeficiency-related vaccine-derived rubella viruses (iVDRV) from diagnostic skin biopsies of four patients. Sequence evolution within PID hosts was studied by comparison of the complete genomic sequences of the iVDRVs with the genome of the vaccine virus RA27/3. The degree of divergence of each iVDRV correlated with the duration of persistence indicating continuous intrahost evolution. The evolution rates for synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions were estimated to be 5.7 x 10-3 subs/site/year and 8.9 x 10-4 subs/site/year, respectively. Mutational spectra and signatures indicated a major role for APOBEC cytidine deaminases and a secondary role for ADAR adenosine deaminases in generating diversity of iVDRVs. The distributions of mutations across the genes and 3D hotspots for amino acid substitutions in the E1 glycoprotein identified regions that may be under positive selective pressure. Quasispecies diversity was higher in granulomas than in recovered infectious iVDRVs. Growth properties of iVDRVs were assessed in WI-38 fibroblast cultures. None of the iVDRV isolates showed complete reversion to wild type phenotype but the replicative and persistence characteristics of iVDRVs were different from those of the RA27/3 vaccine strain, making predictions of iVDRV transmissibility and teratogenicity difficult. However, detection of iVDRV RNA in nasopharyngeal specimen and poor neutralization of some iVDRV strains by sera from vaccinated persons suggests possible public health risks associated with iVDRV carriers. Detection of IgM antibody to RV in sera of two out of three patients may be a marker of virus persistence, potentially useful for identifying patients with iVDRV before development of lesions. Studies of the evolutionary dynamics of iVDRV during persistence will contribute to development of infection control strategies and antiviral therapies.

Use of FTA Cards To Transport Throat Swabs and Oral Fluid Samples for Molecular Detection and Genotyping of Measles and Rubella Viruses.

The genetic characterization of measles viruses is an important tool for measles surveillance. Reverse cold chain requirements for the transportation of samples to reference laboratories are challenging in resource-limited settings. FTA cards facilitate the transport of virologic samples at ambient temperature as noninfectious material; however, the utility of FTA cards for the detection and genotyping of measles virus from clinical samples has not been evaluated. Throat swabs (TS) and oral fluid (OF) samples were collected from suspected measles cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Virus detection (reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR [RT-qPCR]) and genotyping (endpoint RT-PCR) were compared for samples from 238 suspected cases; these samples were either transported using the reverse cold chain or at ambient temperature on FTA cards. Virus detection showed excellent positive agreement for OF samples compared to TS (95.3%; confidence interval [CI], 91.6 to 97.4), in contrast to 79.4% (CI, 73.5 to 84.3) for TS on FTA, and 85.5% (CI, 80.2 to 89.6) for OF on FTA compared to OF samples. Genotyping results obtained for a subset of samples indicated that 77.3% of all TS and 71.0% of OF samples would produce genotype information compared to 41.6% of TS and 41.3% of OF on FTA cards. Similar results were found for 16 measles-negative samples that were confirmed as rubella cases. Measles genotype B3 and rubella genotype 2B were detected. FTA cards have limited utility for virologic surveillance of sporadic cases of measles; however, they can be a useful tool for the expansion of virologic surveillance in countries where the reverse cold chain is not available.

A Microneedle Patch for Measles and Rubella Vaccination Is Immunogenic and Protective in Infant Rhesus Macaques.

Background: New methods to increase measles and rubella (MR) vaccination coverage are needed to achieve global and regional MR elimination goals. Methods: Here, we developed microneedle (MN) patches designed to administer MR vaccine by minimally trained personnel, leave no biohazardous sharps waste, remove the need for vaccine reconstitution, and provide thermostability outside the cold chain. This study evaluated the immunogenicity of MN patches delivering MR vaccine to infant rhesus macaques. Results: Protective titers of measles neutralizing antibodies (>120 mIU/mL) were detected in 100% of macaques in the MN group and 75% of macaques in the subcutaneous (SC) injection group. Rubella neutralizing antibody titers were >10 IU/mL for all groups. All macaques in the MN group were protected from challenge with wild-type measles virus, whereas 75% were protected in the SC group. However, vaccination by the MN or SC route was unable to generate protective immune responses to measles in infant macaques pretreated with measles immunoglobulin to simulate maternal antibody. Conclusions: These results show, for the first time, that MR vaccine delivered by MN patch generated protective titers of neutralizing antibodies to both measles and rubella in infant rhesus macaques and afforded complete protection from measles virus challenge.

Epidemiological and molecular investigation of a rubella outbreak, Romania, 2011 to 2012.

We describe a rubella outbreak that occurred in Romania between September 2011 and December 2012. During this period 24,627 rubella cases, 41.1% (n=10,134) of which female, were notified based on clinical criteria, and a total of 6,182 individuals were found serologically positive for IgM-specific rubella antibody. The median age of notified cases was 18 years (range: <1-65) and the most affected age group 15 to 19 years (n=16,245 cases). Of all notified cases, 24,067 cases (97.7%) reported no history of vaccination. Phylogenetic analysis of 19 sequences (739 nucleotides each), from 10 districts of the country revealed that the outbreak was caused by two distinct rubella virus strains of genotype 2B, which co-circulated with both temporal and geographical overlap. In addition to the 6,182 IgM-positive rubella cases, 28 cases of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) were identified, including 11 neonatal deaths and one stillbirth. The outbreak underscores the need to encourage higher vaccination uptake in the population, particularly in women of reproductive age, and to strengthen epidemiological and laboratory investigations of suspected rubella cases. Genetic characterisation of wild-type rubella virus is an essential component to enhance surveillance and here we report rubella virus sequences from Romania.

Genomic analysis of the Chinese genotype 1F rubella virus that disappeared after 2002 in China.

Genotype 1F was likely localized geographically to China as it has not been reported elsewhere. In this study, whole genome sequences of two rubella 1F virus isolates were completed. Both viruses contained 9,761 nt with a single nucleotide deletion in the intergenic region, compared to the NCBI rubella reference sequence (NC 001545). No evidence of recombination was found between 1F and other rubella viruses. The genetic distance between 1F viruses and 10 other rubella virus genotypes (1a, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1G, 1J 2A, 2B, and 2C) ranged from 3.9% to 8.6% by pairwise comparison. A region known to be hypervariable in other rubella genotypes was also the most variable region in the 1F genomes. Comparisons to all available rubella virus sequences from GenBank identified 22 nucleotide variations exclusively in 1F viruses. Among these unique variations, C9306U is located within the recommended molecular window for rubella virus genotyping assignment, could be useful to confirm 1F viruses. Using the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, the time of the most recent common ancestor for the genotype 1F was estimated between 1976 and 1995. Recent rubella molecular surveillance suggests that this indigenous strain may have circulated for less than three decades, as it has not been detected since 2002.

Building Quality Control for Molecular Assays in the Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network.

More than 100 laboratories in the World Health Organization Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network (GMRLN) perform nucleic acid-based methods for case confirmation of measles or rubella infections and/or strain surveillance (genotyping). The quality of laboratory data is critical to ensure that diagnostic results and country reports to regional verification committees are based on accurate data. A molecular External Quality Assurance (mEQA) program was initiated by the US-CDC in 2014 to evaluate the performance of laboratories in the network. The inclusion of testing for measles and rubella viruses, with a focus on detection and genotyping, plus the diversity of assays and platforms employed required a flexible and comprehensive proficiency testing program. A stepwise introduction of new evaluation criteria gradually increased the stringency of the proficiency testing program, while giving laboratories time to implement the required changes. The mEQA program plays an important role in many processes in the GMRLN, including informing plans for the training of laboratory staff, access to reagents, and the submission of sequence data to global databases. The EQA program for Local Public Health Institutes in Japan is described as an example for national mEQA programs. As more laboratories initiate molecular testing, the mEQA will need to continue to expand and to adapt to the changing landscape for molecular testing.

Long-term Neutralizing Antibody Levels Against Measles and Rubella Viruses Among Adults With 3 Doses of Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine.

Background: A third dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) may be administered for various reasons, but data on long-term immunity are limited. We assessed neutralizing antibody levels against measles and rubella among adults up to 11 years after receipt of a third MMR dose. Methods: In this longitudinal study, healthy adults who received a third MMR dose as young adults (ages 18-28 years) were recalled around 5 years and 9-11 years after the third dose. Measles and rubella antibody levels were assessed by plaque-reduction and immunocolorimetric neutralization assays, respectively. Antibody concentrations <120 mIU/mL and <10 U/mL were considered potentially susceptible to measles and rubella, respectively. Geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) over time were estimated from generalized estimating equation models. Results: Approximately 5 and 9-11 years after receipt of the third dose, 405 and 304 adults were assessed, respectively. Measles GMC was 428 mIU/mL (95% CI, 392-468 mIU/mL) 5 years postvaccination, declining to 381 mIU/mL (95% CI, 339-428 mIU/mL) 11 years postvaccination. At the last follow-up visit (9-11 years postvaccination), 10% of participants were potentially susceptible to measles infection. Rubella GMCs were stable throughout the follow-up period (63 U/mL to 65 U/mL); none of the participants was susceptible to rubella at the last follow-up visit. Conclusions: Eleven years after receiving a third MMR dose, measles and rubella neutralizing antibody levels remained high in adults. However, on the basis of waning antibody levels, some adults may become susceptible to measles infection over time despite receipt of 3 vaccine doses.

Analysis of whole genome sequences of 16 strains of rubella virus from the United States, 1961-2009.

Rubella virus is the causative agent of rubella, a mild rash illness, and a potent teratogenic agent when contracted by a pregnant woman. Global rubella control programs target the reduction and elimination of congenital rubella syndrome. Phylogenetic analysis of partial sequences of rubella viruses has contributed to virus surveillance efforts and played an important role in demonstrating that indigenous rubella viruses have been eliminated in the United States. Sixteen wild-type rubella viruses were chosen for whole genome sequencing. All 16 viruses were collected in the United States from 1961 to 2009 and are from 8 of the 13 known rubella genotypes. Phylogenetic analysis of 30 whole genome sequences produced a maximum likelihood tree giving high bootstrap values for all genotypes except provisional genotype 1a. Comparison of the 16 new complete sequences and 14 previously sequenced wild-type viruses found regions with clusters of variable amino acids. The 5' 250 nucleotides of the genome are more conserved than any other part of the genome. Genotype specific deletions in the untranslated region between the non-structural and structural open reading frames were observed for genotypes 2B and genotype 1G. No evidence was seen for recombination events among the 30 viruses. The analysis presented here is consistent with previous reports on the genetic characterization of rubella virus genomes. Conserved and variable regions were identified and additional evidence for genotype specific nucleotide deletions in the intergenic region was found. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed genotype groupings originally based on structural protein coding region sequences, which provides support for the WHO nomenclature for genetic characterization of wild-type rubella viruses.

Feasibility of Different Exercise Modalities for Community-Dwelling Residents With Physical Inactivity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Exercise interventions can promote health, but they can be difficult to implement. Moreover, no consensus has been reached regarding which exercise modality promotes the most significant improvement in metabolic health. PURPOSE: This feasibility study was conducted to (a) determine the implementation efficacy of supervised and home-based exercise interventions by investigating their respective rates of intervention adherence, adherence to targeted intensity, attrition, and adverse events and (b) explore the preliminary efficacy of 12-week exercise programs among aerobic exercise, aerobic exercise combined with resistance exercise, and high-intensity interval training on body composition, anthropometric parameters, and lipid profiles for community-dwelling residents with physical inactivity. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was conducted from April to October 2020. Seventy-two sedentary participants aged 40-70 years were enrolled and randomized into one of four groups: 12-week aerobic exercise, aerobic exercise combined with resistance exercise, high-intensity interval training, and control. The three exercise groups performed at least moderate-intensity supervised exercise twice a week and home-based exercise once a week, whereas the control group maintained their usual daily activities. The target variables, including body composition, anthropometric parameters, and lipid profiles, were measured before and after the 12-week intervention. RESULTS: The intervention adherence rates were 74.01%-87.54% for the supervised exercise group, 64.98%-83.90% for the home-based exercise group, and 82.65%-92.65% for the target exercise intensity group. The attrition rate ranged from 12.50% to 17.65%, and no adverse events were reported in any of the exercise groups. Preliminary efficacy data show the reductions in body weight (95% CI [0.01, 1.20], p = .048) and low-density lipoprotein (95% CI [2.76, 30.32], p = .02) were greater in the exercise groups than the control group, although the intergroup differences were not significant. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Body weight and low-density lipoprotein may be efficiently reduced in a 12-week period using any of the three exercise modalities with at least 82.65% adherence to moderate-intensity exercise and 70.84% adherence to exercising 3 times a week.

SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding in vaccinated and unvaccinated persons: A case series.

The preclinical time course of SARS-CoV-2 shedding is not well-described. Understanding this time course will help to inform risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. During an outbreak in a congregate setting, we collected paired mid-turbinate nasal swabs for antigen testing and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) every other day from all consenting infected and exposed persons. Among 12 persons tested prospectively before and during SARS-CoV-2 infection, ten of 12 participants (83%) had completed a primary COVID-19 vaccination series prior to the outbreak. We recovered SARS-CoV-2 in viral culture from 9/12 (75%) of participants. All three persons from whom we did not recover SARS-CoV-2 in viral culture had completed their primary vaccination series. We recovered SARS-CoV-2 from viral culture in 6/9 vaccinated persons and before symptom onset in 3/6 symptomatic persons. These findings underscore the need for both non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccination to mitigate transmission.

Improving global virologic surveillance for measles and rubella.

An important aspect of laboratory surveillance for measles and rubella is the genetic characterization of circulating wild-type viruses to support molecular epidemiologic studies and to track transmission pathways. Virologic surveillance that is sufficient to document the interruption of transmission of measles and rubella viruses will be an essential criterion for verification of elimination. Laboratories in the World Health Organization (WHO) Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network have worked to improve and expand virologic surveillance as many regions move toward elimination of measles and rubella/congenital rubella syndrome. As countries approach elimination, it will be necessary to obtain genetic information from as many chains of transmission as possible. In addition, baseline virologic surveillance, especially for rubella, needs to be improved in many countries. This report contains a summary of recent improvements to the methods used for virologic surveillance.

Improved diagnostic and multiplex RT-qPCR for detecting rubella viral RNA.

An examination of the nucleic acid sequence alignment of 48 full-length rubella virus genomes revealed that the 5' terminus of the genome is more conserved than the commonly used detection windows for rubella virus RNA located in the E1 protein coding region, suggesting that the 5' terminus could be a target for improving detection of all rubella virus genotypes. Two candidate primer sets were tested and the window between nucleotides (nts) 98 and 251 was found to have the greatest analytical sensitivity for detection of different genotypes. The new method had a limit of detection of four copies of rubella RNA per reaction with high specificity. The average coefficient variation of Ct was 2.2%. Concordance between the new method and currently used method, based on testing 251 clinical specimens collected from a rubella outbreak, was 99.4%. The assay was further improved upon by the incorporation of detection of both rubella virus RNA and mRNA from a cellular reference gene in a multiplex format. The multiplex format did not reduce the sensitivity or the reproducibility of rubella RNA detection and, of 60 specimens tested, the concordance between the single target and multiplex assays was 85.0%. To assess the utility of the multiplex assay for molecular surveillance, 62 rubella IgM positive serum samples from a rubella outbreak were tested, and eleven tested positive using the multiplex method while none were positive using the method targeting E1. These results show that the assay based on the new detection window near the 5' terminus of the genome can improve the detection of rubella virus for the purpose of molecular surveillance and case confirmation, with the added benefit of improved efficiency due to multiplexing.

Lateralization as a symphony: Joint influence of interhemispheric inhibition and transmission on brain asymmetry and syntactic processing.

This study investigated the roles of cross-hemispheric communications in promoting left-lateralized syntactic processing in the brain. Fifty-six young right-handers without familial sinistrality background underwent a divided visual field ERP grammaticality judgment experiment to assess syntactic processing in each hemisphere. Two behavioral tasks -the bilateral flanker task and bilateral word matching task, were used to assess cross-hemispheric inhibition and transmission. Grand average ERP data showed a significant P600 grammaticality effect in the left hemisphere (LH) only; however, individual variations in the P600 responses were observed in both hemispheres. Results of correlational analyses showed that larger LH P600 effects were associated with slower inter-hemispheric transmissions; smaller right hemisphere (RH) P600 effects were associated with more effective RH inhibition. These results yielded support for both the callosal distance hypothesis and the inhibition hypothesis for language lateralization and demonstrated that different aspects of cross-hemispheric communications jointly influence the degree of syntactic lateralization.

Exogenous Rubella Virus Capsid Proteins Enhance Virus Genome Replication.

Enhanced replication of rubella virus (RuV) and replicons by de novo synthesized viral structural proteins has been previously described. Such enhancement can occur by viral capsid proteins (CP) alone in trans. It is not clear whether the CP in the virus particles, i.e., the exogenous CP, modulate viral genome replication. In this study, we found that exogenous RuV CP also enhanced viral genome replication, either when used to package replicons or when mixed with RNA during transfection. We demonstrated that CP does not affect the translation efficiency from genomic (gRNA) or subgenomic RNA (sgRNA), the intracellular distribution of the non-structural proteins (NSP), or sgRNA synthesis. Significantly active RNA replication was observed in transfections supplemented with recombinant CP (rCP), which was supported by accumulated genomic negative-strand RNA. rCP was found to restore replication of a few mutants in NSP but failed to fully restore replicons known to have defects in the positive-strand RNA synthesis. By monitoring the amount of RuV RNA following transfection, we found that all RuV replicon RNAs were well-retained in the presence of rCP within 24 h of post-transfection, compared to non-RuV RNA. These results suggest that the exogenous RuV CP increases efficiency of early viral genome replication by modulating the stage(s) prior to and/or at the initiation of negative-strand RNA synthesis, possibly through a general mechanism such as protecting viral RNA.

Case report: Persistent shedding of a live vaccine-derived rubella virus in a young man with severe combined immunodeficiency and cutaneous granuloma.

A young man with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency developed a persistent vaccine-derived rubella virus (VDRV) infection, with the emergence of cutaneous granulomas more than fifteen years after receipt of two doses of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Following nasopharyngeal swab (NP) collection, VDRV was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and sequencing, and live, replication-competent VDRV was isolated in cell culture. To assess duration and intensity of viral shedding, sequential respiratory samples, one cerebrospinal fluid sample, and two urine samples were collected over 15 months, and VDRV RNA was detected in all samples by RT-qPCR. Live VDRV was cultured from nine of the eleven respiratory specimens and from one urine specimen. To our knowledge, this was the first reported instance of VDRV cultured from respiratory specimens or from urine. To assess potential transmission to close contacts, NP specimens and sera were collected from all household contacts, all of whom were immunocompetent and previously vaccinated with MMR. VDRV RNA was not detected in any NP swabs from the contacts, nor did serologic investigations suggest VDRV transmission to any contacts. This report highlights the need to understand the prevalence and duration of VDRV shedding in granuloma patients and to estimate the risk of VDRV transmission to immune and non-immune contacts.

Association of Persistent Rubella Virus With Idiopathic Skin Granulomas in Clinically Immunocompetent Adults.

Importance: Vaccine-derived and wild-type rubella virus (RuV) has been identified within granulomas in patients with inborn errors of immunity, but has not been described in granulomas of healthy adults. Objective: To determine the association between RuV and atypical granulomatous inflammation in immune-competent adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This case series, conducted in US academic dermatology clinics from January 2019 to January 2021, investigated the presence of RuV in skin specimens using RuV immunofluorescent staining of paraffin-embedded tissue sections, real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, whole-genome sequencing with phylogenetic analyses, and cell culture by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rubella immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M enzyme-linked immunoassay, and viral neutralization assays were performed for the sera of immunocompetent individuals with treatment refractory cutaneous granulomas and histopathology demonstrating atypical palisaded and necrotizing granulomas. Clinical immune evaluation was performed. Main Outcomes and Measures: Identification, genotyping, and culture of vaccine-derived and wild-type RuV within granulomatous dermatitis of otherwise clinically immune competent adults. Results: Of the 4 total immunocompetent participants, 3 (75%) were women, and the mean (range) age was 61.5 (49.0-73.0) years. The RuV capsid protein was detected by immunohistochemistry in cutaneous granulomas. The presence of RuV RNA was confirmed by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in fresh-frozen skin biopsies and whole-genome sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of the RuV sequences showed vaccine-derived RuV in 3 cases and wild-type RuV in 1. Live RuV was recovered from the affected skin in 2 participants. Immunology workup results demonstrated no primary immune deficiencies. Conclusions and Relevance: The case series study results suggest that RuV (vaccine derived and wild type) can persist for years in cutaneous granulomas in clinically immunocompetent adults and is associated with atypical (palisaded and necrotizing type) chronic cutaneous granulomas. These findings represent a potential paradigm shift in the evaluation, workup, and management of atypical granulomatous dermatitis and raises questions regarding the potential transmissibility of persistent live RuV.