Bertrand LOMBARD, as EURL Lm representative, has been invited by ECDC (Johanna TAKKINEN, on the picture, at new ECDC offices) to participate to the annual meeting of the microbiologists of the Food, Water-borne Disease and Zoonosis Network (6 February afternoon) and of the whole network (microbiologists from the national public health laboratories as well as epidemiologists from the national surveillance institutes, 7-8 February), see the programmes, enclosed. This meeting, very well organised by Johanna and her team, gathered around 100 participants and took place in Stockholm. I have listened interesting presentations, fruitful exchanges took place and Lm was given a prominent place with several presentations. This is only food-borne bacterium for whom a WGS-based surveillance has been settled.

We are pleased to announce you that Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/229 of 7 February 2019, amending EC Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, has been published on 8 February 2019. It modifies in particular: The Lm criteria for sprouted seeds: in the second indent of footnote 4 to criteria 1.1 and 1.3, the terms ‘excluding sprouted seeds,’ are deleted. The justification is given in recital (5): “Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 sets a food safety criterion for ‘Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods unable to support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, other than those intended for infants and for special medical purposes’. In accordance with an opinion of the European Food Safety Authority of 15 November 2011, sprouted seeds support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and should therefore be covered by the criterion for ready-to-eat foods able to support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, other than those intended for infants and for special medical  purposes.” Article 5 on the conditions of validation/certification of alternative methods; Annex I: in the qualitative criteria on Lm (1.1, 1.2), the expression of the limit “absence in 25  g” is replaced by “not detected in 25g”, in accordance with the revised Standard method EN ISO 11290-1. As specified in Article 3 of this amendment, this Regulation shall enter into force on 28 February 2019. (the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union on 8 February 2019).

We are pleased to announce you that Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/229 of 7 February 2019, amending EC Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, has been published on 8 February 2019. It modifies in particular: Article 5 on the conditions of validation/certification of alternative methods; Reference methods in Annex II further to the EC Mandate to CEN. In particular, in criterion 1.21, the method to detect staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) in dairy products: the “European screening method of the CRL for coagulase positive staphylococci” is replaced by the Standard EN ISO 19020. As specified in Article 3 of this amendment, this Regulation shall enter into force on 28 February 2019. (the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union on 8 February 2019).

October 2018, EURL Lm visited NWVA (associated NL-NRL for Lm, Wageningen, Netherlands) to disscuss and share skills in WGS analysis. We have performed the cluster analysis on a selection of a panel of 10 genomes with the in-house pipeline of the NVWA (Variant Discovery) and the Anses in-house pipeline (iVARCall2). A perfect correlation between the two in-house pipelines was observed.

Bertrand LOMBARD organised on 13 December the 2nd web-meeting of a working group preparing a guidance document on the organisation of proficiency tests (PTs) by NRLs for the national networks of official laboratories they coordinate. This EURLs working group is composed of representatives from EURLs Salmonella, Campylobacter, VTEC, Listeria monocytogenes and Coagulase Positive Staphylococci, The draft is based on a EURL Listeria monocytogenes document dealing with partial outsourcing of PTs organised by NRLs. The scope of the document being drafted is now wider. This document should be finalised in 2019 and will be circulated to the respective NRL networks for consultation.

This Joint scientific Conference on Foodborne pathogens and whole Genome Sequencing is organised in Paris from Tuesday 26 to Thursday 28 March by Anses (France) / BfR (Germany) / DTU Food (Denmark) / NIFDS (South Korea).   Fuelled by the reduction in the cost of sequencing and the exceptionally rapid development of algorithmic and calculation resources, the medical, agronomic and food sectors have been shaken by the genomic revolution. At the initiative of four national institutions for food safety and risk assessment in France, Denmark, Germany, and South Korea, this conference will bring together researchers, risk assessors and risk managers for an update on the impact on food safety that whole genome sequencing (WGS) approaches already have, and will continue to have in the near future. The scientific presentations will cover recent developments in the data-based WGS methods used in outbreak detection, investigation and epidemiological surveillance. The bioinformatics methods and platforms used to characterise foodborne pathogens and interpret phenotypic variations (e.g. virulence, antimicrobial resistance and persistence) will be presented, while refinement of quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) models with the implementation of new comprehensive genomic data will be discussed. In addition, the potential of metagenomics in the food safety field, with a special focus on virology, will also be addressed. A round table will close the meeting with representatives of major international public health institutions to discuss initiatives for the promotion of genomic approaches. Participation in the meeting is free of charge but requires prior registration. Link provided hereafter: website, programme and registration.

Bertrand LOMBARD organised on 13 December the 2nd web-meeting of a working group preparing a guidance document on the organisation of proficiency tests (PTs) by NRLs for the national networks of official laboratories they coordinate. This EURLs working group is composed of representatives from EURLs Salmonella, Campylobacter, VTEC, Listeria monocytogenes and Coagulase Positive Staphylococci, The draft is based on a EURL Listeria monocytogenes document dealing with partial outsourcing of PTs organised by NRLs. The scope of the document being drafted is now wider. This document should be finalised in 2019 and will be circulated to the respective NRL networks for consultation.

[relayed from CDC Health Alert Network] The New York State Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Health are investigating Brucella RB51 exposures that may be connected to consuming raw (unpasteurized) milk from Miller’s Biodiversity Farm in Quarryville, Pennsylvania. Symptoms of brucellosis can include fever, sweats, malaise, anorexia, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and potentially more serious complications (e.g., endocarditis, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and neurologic symptoms). In pregnant patients, Brucella infections can be associated with miscarriage. Symptom onset can occur anywhere from five days to six months following exposure. As of January 22, 2019, exposures have been identified in 19 states: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Yacine NIA and Isabelle MUTEL organised a training session held in our permises in Maisons-Alfort (FR) on 11-12 December 2018. This training session was dedicated to the detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins according to the European Screening method and the new EN ISO 19020. NRLs Participants : Ivana IVANOVIC - Agroscope of Switzerland; Thorsten BLUME - SpiezLab of Switzerland; Marina DOUKA - Department of Food Hygiene of Athens of Greece.

Bertrand LOMBARD participated virtually (teleconference) to a part of the last meeting of the Working Group 3 on method validation of the subcommitte ISO/TC 34/SC 9 “Food products-Microbiology”. It took place on 4-6 December 2018 at Sciensano (BE-NRL for Listeria monocytogenes & coagulase positive staphylococci, Brussels). WG 3 is in charge of developing the series EN ISO 16140 on method validation/verification in food chain microbiology. This meeting was mainly dedicated to the preparation of the final vote, further to the ISO/DIS vote and CEN Enquiry, on the 4 following parts: Part 3: method verification; Part 4: method validation in a single laboratory; Part 5: factorial interlaboratory validation for non-proprietary methods; Part 6: validation of alternative (proprietary) methods for microbiological confirmation and typing procedures. The final votes are expected to be launched by mid-2019. B. Lombard ensured a liaison with WG 2 which provides a statistical expertise to prepare these standards.