David Brown: virologist who developed saliva testing for rubella and measles and led the virus reference department for the Health Protection Agency for almost two decades

When virologist David Brown was developing a saliva test for rubella, one of the first people he used it on was his infant son Michael. Brown arrived home from the laboratory, jubilant that the test was positive. His father Joe, an old school GP, scoffed at his success: “Of course he has rubella, just look at him.”

Despite this jibe, Brown continued to pursue his interests in viral diagnostics and public health microbiology, authoring 460 publications, the latest of which was published the month after he died.

He played a key role in developing and introducing a new national surveillance programme for measles and rubella in the UK, using oral fluid to confirm notified cases of measles, mumps, and rubella—crucial to demonstrate the effectiveness of the UK vaccination programme.12

He was the first to demonstrate the value of polymerase chain reaction testing using oral fluid for virus detection, and was involved in developing, researching, and advising on a rapid point-of-care test for measles, to enable real time case confirmation primarily in developing countries.234

He was also interested in viral gastroenteritis, publishing more than 50 papers on …