National Reference Laboratory for Equine Infectious Anemia

1. NRL experts

• NRL coordinator

  Dr. Vuţă Barbu Vlad, PhD candidate
  tel. 0374.322.088
  e–mail: vlad.vuta@idah.ro

• NRL deputy coordinator

  Dr. Olvedi Irina, PhD in medical sciences, veterinary medicine specialty
  e–mail: irina.plamadeala@idah.ro

• Team working

  Dr. Bărboi Gheorghe, PhD in medical sciences, veterinary medicine specialty
  Dr. Boncea Adrian Dragoş, master's degree in clinical and veterinary pharmacy speciality
  Dr. Dragoş Daniela, post-university studies in veterinary laboratory diagnosis
  Dr. Turcitu Mihai Alexandru, doctorand
  Dr. Hiottu Anişoara, PhD in medical sciences, veterinary medicine specialty
  Dr. Pavel Nerone

2. Correspondent Community Reference Laboratory

• Community Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases, French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA), F-94700, Maisons-Alfort, France

3. Specific atributions

• The specialists working in this NRL have the responsibility for drawing up the handbook „Manual for Equine Infectious Anemia Diagnosis”.
• They also perform the changes and/or supplements for „Manual for Equine Infectious Anemia Diagnosis” in accordance with new provisions of Community law and new recommendations of the World Animal Health Organization, established in „Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals” and „Terrestrial Animal Health Code”.
• NRL experts approve the results of validity studies proving the reliability of methods/assays used in Romania for diagnosis and surveillance of equine infectious anemia.
• The experts coordinate pre-taking and drawing up the standards and diagnostic methods of equine infectious anemia in Romania.
• They carry out researches activities, assimilate and draw up the new analytical methods for laboratory diagnosis and surveillance of equine infectious anemia.
• They participate together with the others national reference laboratories for equine infectious anemia from Member States, to the international inter-comparison and proficiency tests organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases.
• They participate to the quality assurance activities and method standardization for diagnosis, surveillance and screening of equine infectious anemia, organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases.
• The NRL specialists collaborate with Community Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases and benefit from training organized by this and supplying diagnostic standards, methods, reagents or diagnosis standards for equine infectious anemia.
• The NRL experts collaborate with national reference laboratories for equine infectious anemia from the others Member States, international reference laboratories of World Animal Health Organization (OIE) and other international accredited organizations in the field, in order to improve the surveillance and diagnostic capacity of equine infectious anemia.
• In accordance with provisions of diagnosis manuals, they carry out the laboratory tests/assays for diagnosis and surveillance of equine infectious anemia.
• The NRL experts supply the diagnosis expertise for equine infectious anemia in case of positive, suspect and inconclusive results obtained by the sanitary veterinary and food safety county laboratories, and of Bucharest, respectively.
• The NRL experts supply the diagnosis expertise for equine infectious anemia in case of dispute settlement.
• The NRL experts check and certify the diagnosis value of all diagnosis reagent batches and diagnosis sets or kits for equine infectious anemia and designate their use by state sanitary veterinary laboratories from Romania.
• In preparation for yielding certain diagnosis reagents for equine infectious anemia, supplying them for all authorised sanitary veterinary and food safety laboratories.
• They coordinate the drawing up of diagnosis standards and methods for equine infectious anemia used by all authorized sanitary veterinary and food safety laboratories.
• The NRL experts perform the annual inter-laboratory comparative tests for checking the diagnostic capability for equine infectious anemia, for all authorized sanitary veterinary and food safety county laboratories from county sanitary veterinary and food safety directorates.
• NRL also organize training and continuous training activities, in order to teach the specialists working in the authorized sanitary veterinary and food safety laboratories, on carrying out laboratory surveillance for equine infectious anemia.
• The NRL experts proceed specific activities in order to identify and characterize the etiological agents of equine infectious anemia, their origin, type, subtype and variant.
• NRL has the responsibility to characterize the equine infectious anemia etiological agent strain, their genetic typing and designing the epidemiological genetic charts.
• They preserve the equine infectious anemia etiological agent strains under maximum safety conditions.
• The experts from NRL participate to the authorization of sanitary veterinary and food safety laboratories; they write down the checking files and assessment report and verify the achievement of quality insurance system conditions.
• Periodically, they communicate to the European Commission the list of authorized and accredited institutions or sanitary veterinary and food safety laboratories, having specific competences for equine infectious anemia and also to notify any changes of the list.
• The NRL experts communicate, with the agreement of National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, the information requested by European Commission, Community Reference Laboratory for Equine Diseases, World Animal Health Organization, national reference laboratories for equine infectious anemia from other Member States and other international accredited organizations and institutions in the field.
• The NRL experts provide, to National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority and sanitary veterinary and food safety county directorates, and of Bucharest, respectively, the official information on equine infectious anemia with the aim of establishing the national strategies and policies on animal equine infectious anemia.
• As a second or third part, they carry out advising activities, they grant technical advice and also they perform audit activities for institutions and organizations in animal husbandry or for those enterprises of which activities involve products or by-products derived from animals.
• Sometimes, the experts from NRL participate to inspection and control actions directed to equine infectious anemia, organized by National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority.
• In accordance with legislation in force, NRL promotes and implements the Good Laboratory Practice principles (GLP), to be used for applied research studies.
• They also participate to the drawing up, coordination, monitoring and carrying out some actions stipulated by “Programme for surveillance, prevention and control of animal diseases, those transmitted from animals to humans, animal and environmental protection”, yearly approved by National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority President’s order.
• They participate to the establishing of maximum number of samples which are to be sampled for laboratory exams, regarding equine infectious anemia and to calibration of national reference secondary sera against international primary standard sera.
• They participate to the elaboration of law drafts for equine infectious anemia.
• They also participate to design the technical programs, the national and international projects regarding equine infectious anemia diagnosis and surveillance.
• The NRL experts participate or manage the research activities of national or international research programmes.

4. Activity in relation with correspondent Community Reference Laboratory

• Attendance to workshops
  • –
• Attendance to trainings
  • –
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • –

5. Activity in relation with correspondent national reference laboratories from Member States

• Attendance to workshops
  • –
• Attendance to trainings
  • –
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • 2007 – Ring Test AGID for EIA, organised by Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana, Italy

6. Activity in relation with correspondent international reference laboratory

• Attendance to workshops
  • –
• Attendance to trainings
  • –
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • 2007 – Equine Infectious Anemia Profiency Test (EIA TEST – 05/SET 633), organised by Internationa Reference Laboratory NVSL Ames, USDA, SUA

7. Activity in relation with other international accredited institutions in the field

• Attendance to workshops
  • –
• Attendance to trainings
  • 1999 - Equine diseases diagnossis, organized by French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA), F-94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • –

8. Activity in relation with counties SVFSLs

• Workshop organization
  • –
• Training organization
  • 2008 - In house validation plans for AGID and ELISA kits used in serological diagnosis for Equine Infectious Anemia
  • 2009 - Diagnosis Methods for Equine Infectious Anemia
• Performing inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • 2008 - Equine Infectious Anemia Diagnosis by AGID (Coggins Test)
  • 2009 - Equine Infectious Anemia Diagnosis by AGID (Coggins Test)

9. Activity in relation with other institutions than SVFSLs or legal and private person

• Workshop organization
  • –
• Training organization
  • –
• Performing inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • –