For certain major regulated or emerging pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites), the health authorities need an effective surveillance system based on a network of reliable laboratories to undertake official analyses. For each regulated pathogen or contaminant requiring surveillance, the health authorities appoint accredited analytical laboratories and a ‘reference’ laboratory. The reference laboratory ensures the reliability of the analyses undertaken by the accredited laboratories. Its mandate may be national (National Reference Laboratory [NRL], in which case it oversees a network of departmental laboratories), European (EURL, in which case it manages a network of NRLs) or international (WHO, OIE or FAO collaborating centre). Depending on the pathogen or contaminant under surveillance and the targeted agent’s level of circulation, the number of accredited laboratories to be supervised may range from just a few to about a hundred.

Our team has extensive expertise in broad areas covering the activities of Reference (serological and bacteriological diagnosis of brucellosis in domestic animals and wildlife, inter-laboratory proficiency trial organization...), as well as Research, including molecular biology and bioinformatics. This team is part of the Bacterial Zoonoses Unit at Anses’ Laboratory for Animal Health. Our work is concentrated on controlling major animal disease epidemics (foot and mouth disease, bluetongue, etc.), bacterial (brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis...), viral and parasitic zoonoses and emerging infectuous multi-species animal diseases, for which it provides substantial scientific and technical support through following EU & international mandates:

—> Three European Union Reference Laboratories

• Brucellosis
• Equine diseases
• Foot-and-mouth disease and similar vesicular diseases (in partnership with Sciensano[JG1] , Belgium)

—> Two FAO Collaborating Centres

• Brucellosis
• Foot-and-mouth disease 

—> Six OIE Reference Laboratories 

• Brucellosis
• Tuberculosis
• Foot-and-mouth disease
• EHDV
• Avian chlamydiosis, chlamydiosis of small ruminants
• Glanders

—> One OIE Collaborating Centre: Foodborne zoonotic parasites

NRC Certified Laboratory: Hepatitis E, Chlamydia, foodborne protists 

For more information:

• Find out more about ANSES's Laboratory for Animal Health
• Find out more about reference activities
• Read our leaflet on ANSES's various reference mandates

Brucellosis is the generic name used for the animal and human infections caused by several species of the genus Brucella, mainly Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis. Brucellosis is a regulated disease in Europe and is listed by OIE.

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The Brucellosis EURL missions

• Coordinate the methods employed in the MS for diagnosing brucellosis;
• Typing, storing and supplying strains of Brucella sp.
• Preparing, controlling and supplying EU Standard sera and other reference reagents to the NRLs (to standardise tests and reagents in the MS)
• Validating reference reagents (antigens and National Standard sera)
• Building up and maintain a sera bank, a collection of Brucella sp., and a database of strains isolated across the EU
• Organising periodical comparative tests of diagnostic procedures at EU level and operating laboratory proficiency tests of NRLs
• Collecting and collating data and information on the methods of diagnosis used and the results of tests carried out in the EU
• Characterizing Brucella sp by the most up-to-date methods available to allow greater understanding of the epidemiology of brucellosis
• Keeping abreast of development in brucellosis surveillance, epidemiology and prevention throughout the world
• Acquiring a thorough knowledge of the preparation and use of the products of vet. immunology used to eradicate and to control brucellosis including the evaluation of vaccines

• Facilitate harmonization of techniques throughout the EU, in particular specifying standard test methodologies
• Organise workshops for the benefit of NRLs, including training of experts from the MS and, as appropriate, from non-member countries, in new analytical methodologies.
• Provide technical assistance to the Commission, concerning in particular the standardisation of analytical methods and their implementation
• Perform research activities and whenever possible co-ordinate research activities directed towards improving control and eradication of brucellosis, specifically by:
• Carrying out or collaborating with NRLs in carrying out test validation trials
• Providing scientific advice to the Commission services and collecting information and reports associated with the activities of the EURL
• Assist actively in the diagnosis of brucellosis outbreaks in MS by receiving pathogen isolates for confirmatory diagnosis, characterisation and epidemiological studies;
• Facilitate the initial or further training of experts in laboratory diagnosis with a view to the harmonisation of diagnostic techniques throughout the EU;
• Collaborating, as regards diagnostic methods, with the competent laboratories in third countries where the disease is prevalent;
• Conduct initial and further training courses for the benefit of staff from NRLs and of experts from developing countries.

Epidemiological surveillance is the ongoing and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health-related data. Guidelines have been proposed by FAO (2003). The process involves describing and monitoring health events in populations of humans or animals, or, in the case of a zoonosis such as brucellosis, both. For example, typical questions to which a surveillance system might be asked to provide answers include:

• How extensive is the infection, and when and where is it occurring?

• Which species of Brucella are involved?

• Which animal species are involved?

• Is the prevalence and incidence (human or animal) decreasing, increasing or static?

• When epidemics occur, what is the source, and how is the agent being transmitted?

• What strategies should be adopted to control, prevent and ultimately eradicate the infection?

• What are the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the populations affected?

• What laboratory or field research needs to be undertaken?

More recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and FAO have been collaborating to develop the Brucellosis One Health Guidance and Tools (BOHGAT), a set of complementary resources that use a multisectoral, One Health approach to assist counties in preventing, controlling and eliminating brucellosis in animals and people. Resources within the BOHGAT that are nearing finalization include the Stepwise Approach for the Progressive Control of Brucellosis (SAPCB) and the Staged Tool for the Elimination of Brucellosis (STEB).

Phylogeography is the study of the spatial arrangement of genealogical lineages, especially within and among conspecific populations and closely related species. One of several new types of nuclear data stemming from next-generation sequencing involves the recovery of single nucleotide polymorphismes (SNPs) from many thousands of unlinked nuclear genomic regions, even in nonmodel species. SNPs are increasingly being used to supplement more traditional phylogeographic datasets based on cytoplasmic genomic sequences or allelic profiles at relatively small numbers of microsatellite loci. The term “landscape genetics” has blossomed in recent years into a recognizable and popular research arena, purportedly forming a needed bridge between landscape ecology and population genetics (much as the field of phylogeography attempted to bridge phylogenetics and population genetics; Avise et al, 2016).