♦ 12 December 2017 ♦

The report of the inter-laboratory comparison on tetracycline and age determination in red fox teeth is now online (private part only). The fourth inter-laboratory session has revealed that 92% of participating laboratories presented 100% concordant results in the tetracycline detection test. Considering the age determination of the samples, 69% of the laboratories estimated concordant age class on the whole panel. Both TTC detection and age estimation have revealed the best results ever obtained in such inter-laboratory comparison! These results demonstrate a constant high level of performance of the laboratories in the detection of tetracycline and a high improvement in age determination. For the few remaining discordant results some points are discussed in the discussion section of the report.
 

♦ 18 January 2018 ♦

According to the European regulation 2010/436/EU, Anses-Nancy organized once a year in April a rabies serology inter-laboratory test. The participation in the rabies serology proficiency allows successful laboratories to be approved by the European Commission for the serological testing in the context of the international movements of pets. Last year, seventy-two laboratories successfully passed the rabies serology inter-laboratory test. Registration for the 2018 test is now ongoing. Should your laboratory be interested in participating to it, please contact rabies.serology.eu-rl@anses.fr for information and conditions. Deadline for registration is on 2nd February 2018.

 

♦ 12 December 2017 ♦

[Relayed from www.efsa.europa.eu website] “This report of the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control presents the results of the zoonoses monitoring activities carried out in 2016 in 37 European countries (28 Member States (MS) and nine non-MS). […] The report further summarises trends and sources for bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, trichinellosis, echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, rabies, Q fever, West Nile fever and tularaemia.” Rabies can be found in chapter 11, and is subdivided in “Surveillance and monitoring of rabies in the EU” (11.2), “Data analyses” (11.3), “Results” ((11.4) and “Discussion” (11.5), followed by an interesting link section “Related projects and internet sources” (11.6).
 

♦ 20 December 2017 ♦

Anses publishes each month an online newsletter in English covering some recent news on its activities. Main subjects in the last edition deal with: “Facilitating the marketing of biocontrol plant protection products”, “Food supplements containing spirulina: the importance of choosing trustworthy supply channels”, “H2020 One Health EJP Kick-off meeting”, “Visit the new website of the CIQUAL French Food composition table”, International conference “The impact of global change on the emergence of plant diseases and pests in Europe” and “ANSES 2016 Annual Reports”. The last issue can be read online following this link.
 

♦ 14 December 2017 ♦

Season’s greetings and warm winter wishes for the holiday season.
May every happiness be yours throughout the coming year.

♦ 23 November 2017 ♦

Seventy-two out of the eighty-one participating laboratories successfully passed the 2017 rabies serology inter-laboratory test. Congratulation to all of them! As usual, a link to a satisfaction questionnaire has been sent to the participating laboratories for quality assurance matters. The list of the laboratories authorised to carry out the serological tests to monitor the effectiveness of the anti-rabies vaccination is available at the bottom of the “Approved rabies serology laboratories” page of the ec.europa.eu website: https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/pet-movement/approved-labs_en.
 

♦ 18 October 2017 ♦

[Relayed from www.who.int] “On 18 October 2017, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization approved all of the recommendations proposed by the SAGE working group on rabies, as an update to the current WHO position paper on rabies immunization based on new evidence and experience in programme implementation. SAGE guides progress on global strategies and policies regarding vaccine-preventable diseases. A SAGE rabies working group was established in July 2016 to review new evidence that would merit updating of the 2010 WHO position paper on rabies vaccines. The working group conducted systematic reviews of published and unpublished literature, and assembled data and programme experience from countries to review options for pre-exposure and post-exposure immunization". […] (Read full article on www.who.int…)
 

♦ 25-26 September 2017 ♦

[Relayed from www.rr-africa.oie.int] On September 25 and 26, 2017, the OIE Sub-Regional Representation for North Africa organised a “Workshop on the Rabies National Control Programme of the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture: feedback from the field, state of play and ways of improvement", held in Tunis, Tunisia, in collaboration with the Tunisian Veterinary Services (Directorate-General of Veterinary Services). The workshop, funded by the European Union, represented by the European Commission and the European Parliament, as part of the project to Strengthen Veterinary Services in Developing Countries (SVSDC), was aimed at the decentralised offices of the Ministry of Agriculture involved in the fight against rabies. […] (Read full article on rr-africa.oie.int…)
 

♦ 02 October 2017 ♦

Further to the call for registration for the inter-laboratory test for tetracycline determination 2017, 13 NRLs volunteered to perform the test. The samples were sent to participants on 2 October 2017 under dry ice. Each panel is composed of several positive or negative red fox jaws for tetracycline, an acknowledgment form and a result form. The acknowledgement and result forms are expected back to the EURL by 30 October 2017 at the latest. As usual, a technical questionnaire related to the technique used has to be online answered.