Evaluation of sensitivity of TaqMan RT-PCR for rubella virus detection in clinical specimens.

•We evaluated a TaqMan RT-PCR assay for the rubella surveillance system in Japan.•We tested its sensitivity with all rubella virus genotypes and clinical specimens.•Detection limits for the rubella virus genotypes ranged from 1 to 10 pfu/reaction.•The sensitivity of the TaqMan RT-PCR was lower than the conventional nested RT-PCR.•The assay is appropriate for throat swab and urine samples until 5days of illness.