EURL-CPS announces that the Proficiency Trial - 2023 dedicated to the enumeration of CPS is completely cancelled.

The Inter European Union Reference Laboratories (EURLs) Working Group on Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) published a work illustrating the results of the first 5 years of activity. By working together, the EURLs involved have released guidance documents for assisting NRLs in all the steps of NGS, helping the transition from classical molecular methods towards whole genome sequencing while ensuring harmonization, with the final aim of improving preparedness in the use of NGS to...

EFSA and the Inter- EURLs Working Group on Whole Genome Sequencing are jointly organising the second event of the “Science Meets Policy” conference, which will be held in Parma, Italy on the 5th and 6th  of September 2023.  The registration for the conference is now open and available on this link: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/events/science-meets-policy-conference-using-next-generation-sequencing-tackle-foodborne-threats Registration is open until 31 May at 12:00 (...

EURL CPS has published an article on the enterotoxigenic properties of the CPS Staphylococcus argenteus. You are welcome to read and download the final version of this article on ScienceDirect until May 12, 2023  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168160523000983?dgcid=author  

We are pleased to transmit you an update from EC/JRC regarding the 3 Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) on SEA in cheese powder (IRMM-359a-c). Their certificates have now been updated with ELISA-based quantitative values derived from a collaboration with our laboratory, in particular. These values have been included in the section "additional material information" of the certificates. A short reference to this work was added to the certification report (addendum in page...

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...

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...

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...