National Reference Laboratory for Arboviruses – Bluetongue and
African Horse Sickness

1. NRL experts

• NRL coordinator

  Dr. Ionescu Aurelia, PhD in medical sciences, veterinary medicine speciality, post-university studies in veterinary laboratory diagnosis
  tel. 0374322052
  e–mail: aurelia.ionescu@idah.ro

• NRL deputy coordinator

  Dr. Hristescu Doru-Valentin

• Team working

  Dr. Vintilă Elena
  Bg. Dragomir Gina-Ionela
  Dr. Tamba Paula, masterand
  Dr. Turcitu Mihai-Alexandru, PhD candidate
  Dr. Hiottu Anişoara, PhD in medical sciences,veterinary medicine speciality
  Dr. Apostu Cristian, undergraduate studies in specialty – animal health management

2. Correspondent Community Reference Laboratory

• Community Reference Laboratory for Bluetongue, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright Laboratory, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey GU24 ONF, United Kingdom
• Community Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness, Laboratorio de sanidad y producción animal, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, 28110 Algete, Madrid, Spain

3. Specific atributions

• The specialists working in this NRL have the responsibility for drawing up the following handbooks: „Manual for Bluetongue Diagnosis” and „Manual for African Horse Sickness Diagnosis”.
• They also perform the changes and/or supplements for „Manual for Bluetongue Diagnosis” and „Manual for African Horses Sickness 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness.
• The experts coordinate pre-taking and drawing up the standards and diagnostic methods of bluetongue and African horse sickness in Romania.
• They carry out researches activities, assimilate and draw up the new analytical methods for laboratory diagnosis and surveillance of bluetongue and African horse sickness.
• They participate together with the others national reference laboratories for bluetongue and African horse sickness from Member States, to the international inter-comparison and proficiency tests organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Bluetongue and Community Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness.
• They participate to the quality assurance activities and method standardization for diagnosis, surveillance and screening of bluetongue and African horse sickness, organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Bluetongue and Community Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness.
• The NRL specialists collaborate with Community Reference Laboratory for Bluetongue and Community Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness and benefit from training organized by these and supplying diagnostic standards, methods, reagents or diagnosis standards for bluetongue and African horse sickness.
• The NRL experts collaborate with national reference laboratories for bluetongue and African horse sickness 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness.
• In accordance with provisions of diagnosis manuals, they carry out the laboratory tests/assays for diagnosis and surveillance of bluetongue and African horse sickness.
• The NRL experts supply the diagnosis expertise for bluetongue and African horse sickness 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness and designate their use by state sanitary veterinary laboratories from Romania.
• In preparation for yielding certain diagnosis reagents for bluetongue and African horse sickness, supplying them for all authorised sanitary veterinary and food safety laboratories.
• They coordinate the drawing up of diagnosis standards and methods for bluetongue and African horse sickness 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness, 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness.
• The NRL experts carry out specific activities for identification and characterization the etiological agents of bluetongue, African horse sickness other arboviruses in animals, their origin and type.
• NRL has the responsibility to characterize the bluetongue, African horse sickness other arboviruses of animal etiological agent strains, their genetic typing and designing the epidemiological genetic charts.
• They preserve the bluetongue and African horse sickness other 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness 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 Bluetongue, Community Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness, World Animal Health Organization, national reference laboratories for bluetongue and African horse sickness 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness with the aim of establishing the national strategies and policies on bluetongue and African horse sickness.
• 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness, 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 bluetongue and African horse sickness , the maximum number of samples for laboratory exams done on pool samples and to calibration of national reference secondary sera against international primary standard sera.
• They participate to the elaboration of law drafts for bluetongue and African horse sickness.
• They also participate to design the technical programs, the national and international projects regarding animal bluetongue and African horse sickness 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
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• Attendance to trainings
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• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
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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
  • –

6. Activity in relation with correspondent international reference laboratory

• Attendance to workshops
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• Attendance to trainings
  • –
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
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7. Activity in relation with other international accredited institutions in the field

• Attendance to workshops
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• Attendance to trainings
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• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
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8. Activity in relation with counties SVFSLs

• Workshop organization
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• Training organization
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• Performing inter–comparison and proficiency tests
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9. Activity in relation with other institutions than SVFSLs or legal and private person

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