♦ 01 April 2016 ♦ Laboratories which have registered for the annual rabies serology proficiency test for 2016 dedicated to the FAVN test (Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization) and/or the RFFIT (Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test) will receive the test panel soon now, as it be sent last week of April. A successful participation to the rabies serology proficiency allows laboratories to be approved by the European Commission for the serological testing in the context of the international movements of pets. For more information on this test, please contact the laboratory.  

♦ 01 April 2016 ♦ The panels for the annual rabies diagnostic inter-laboratory test will be sent on 30 May 2016. The test is composed of a panel of 10 samples to be tested with the chosen technique(s) (FAT, RTCIT, Conventional and/or Real Time RT-PCR) as well as a corresponding online technical questionnaire for each tested technique. Participating laboratories which have not sent import permit nor the unilateral commitment yet should sent it/them to the EURL for rabies as soon as possible.  

♦ 01 April 2016 ♦ If you are from a NRL from EU Member States and have not answer to the annual overview of test performed in the NRLs, it is still time to do it! The questionnaire has to be answered online, and laboratories get a printable summary of the declared data at the end of the test for their records. As usual, this investigation will result in a report in the same mood as the previous years. If your laboratory is concerned by this survey, you must have received the link to the questionnaire. If not, contact the EURL for rabies. Deadline is postponed to 15 April 2016.  

An updated version of the guidelines for the surveillance of Aethina tumida infestation is now available in free access here. This document has been updated by the EURL in collaboration with the NRLs from Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Germany and United Kingdom considering the feedbacks from the surveillance in Italy. We thank all the people who participated to the writing of these guidelines.

  The first occurrence of the small hive beetle has been observed in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 1st. March 2015. The beetle was suspected in 46 bee hives. Beetle specimens were sent to the University of São Paulo for taxonomic identification on May 2015. Preliminary results were communicated to the official veterinary service on December 2015. Beetles were sent to the Biological Institute of São Paulo which confirmed the entomological identification of Aethina tumida on 16th February 2016 in one hive. The main measures applied were quarantine and surveillance within protection zone.  The source of the outbreak is unknown for the moment. Epidemiological investigations are on-going within a 20km radius of the location of the first infested hive. Adult beetle specimens from an apiary in a neighboring municipality have been sent for identification. Meetings with beekeeper associations and industries were carried out to communicate on the SHB detection, spread and control measures to implement. More information can be found on the OIE website.

Note prepared by the EU RL for Bee Health (Laboratory of  Anses Sophia Antipolis)   Updated news (29th December 2015)   This article will no longer be updated. A new article on the surveillance of Aethina tumida in Italy in 2016 has been created here.   To see the details of the outbreaks observed in 2014 and the state of play of the situation early 2015, please click here.       

One proficiency-test will be organized by the EU RL in 2016. It will follow the proficiency test performed in 2015 and it will aim at evaluating the specificity of the real-time RT-PCR method for the detection and quantification of the chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) in bees. More information related to the time schedule will come soon.

Additional data editing were performed on the EPILOBEE data leading to new calculations. Thus, a revised version of the EPILOBEE 2012-2014 report with corrected figures was produced. You can check out this new document, available on the European Commission website (click here).

The formal invitation was sent last week. Do not hesitate to contact us in case of need.

♦ 03 December 2015 ♦ [Relayed from OIE website – 4 December] OIE and CITES signed recently an agreement to deepen the collaboration between the two organisations. This agreement provides a formal foundation for expanded communication, cooperation and collaboration in order to protect CITES-listed species and conserve biodiversity by ensuring the efficient implementation of surveillance and disease control measures needed to protect animal and human health worldwide. Rabies, Ebola haemorrhagic fever, West Nile Fever, Avian influenza, Brucellosis, Foot and mouth disease: these are only a few examples of well-known, emerging, or re-emerging diseases that are originally found or circulated in wildlife and which potentially have (… Read more).