National Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases

1. NRL experts

• NRL coordinator

  Dr. Costea Mihaela, PhD in medical sciences, veterinary medicine speciality; master's degree in public administration
  tel. 0374.322.029
  e–mail: mihaela.costea@idah.ro

• NRL deputy coordinator

  Dr. Serafim Vlad, PhD candidate, post–university studies in veterinary laboratory diagnosis

• Team working

  Dr. Popescu Alina, PhD candidate, post–university studies in veterinary laboratory diagnosis
  Ch. Bianu Elisabeta, PhD in medical sciences, veterinary medicine specialty
  Dr. Moţiu Răzvan, master's degree in clinical and veterinary pharmacy speciality
  Dr. Bărbuceanu Florica, PhD in medical sciences, veterinary medicine specialty
  Dr. Adameşteanu Mihail
  Dr. Orăşanu Adriana, PhD in medical sciences, veterinary medicine specialty
  Bg. Popescu –Chisăleacu Anişoara
  Dr. Pavel Nerone

2. Correspondent Community Reference Laboratory

• Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases, Technical University of Denmark, National Veterinary Institute, Hangovej 2, 8200 Aarhus N.

3. Specific atributions

• The specialists working in this NRL have the responsibility for drawing up the following handbook: „Manual for Fish Diseases Diagnosis”.
• They also perform the changes and/or supplements for „Manual for Fish Diseases Diagnosis” in accordance with new provisions of Community law and new recommendations of the World Animal Health Organization, established in „Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals” and „ Aquatic 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 fish diseases.
• The experts coordinate pre–taking and drawing up the standards and diagnostic methods of fish diseases in Romania.
• They carry out researches activities, assimilate and draw up the new analytical methods for laboratory diagnosis and surveillance of fish diseases.
• They participate together with the others national reference laboratories for fish diseases from Member States, to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases.
• They participate to the quality assurance activities and method standardization for diagnosis, surveillance and screening of fish diseases, organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases.
• The NRL specialists collaborate with Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases and benefit from training organized by this and supplying diagnostic standards, methods, reagents or diagnosis standards for fish diseases.
• The NRL experts collaborate with national reference laboratories for fish diseases 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 fish diseases.
• In accordance with provisions of diagnosis manuals, they carry out the laboratory tests/assays for diagnosis and surveillance of fish diseases.
• The NRL experts supply the diagnosis expertise for fish diseases 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 fish diseases 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 fish diseases and designate their use by state sanitary veterinary laboratories from Romania.
• In preparation for yielding certain diagnosis reagents for fish diseases, supplying them for all authorised sanitary veterinary and food safety laboratories.
• They coordinate the drawing up of diagnosis standards and methods for fish diseases 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 fish diseases, 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 fish diseases.
• The NRL experts proceed specific activities in order to identify and characterize the etiological agents of fish diseases, their origin, type, subtype and variant.
• NRL has the responsibility to characterize the fish diseases etiological agent strains, their genetic typing and designing the epidemiological genetic charts.
• They preserve the ethological agent strains of fish diseases 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 fish diseases 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 Fish Diseases, World Animal Health Organization, national reference laboratories for fish diseases 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 to sanitary veterinary and food safety county directorates, and of Bucharest, respectively, the official information on fish diseases with the aim of establishing the national strategies and policies on fish diseases.
• 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 fish farms and aquaculture animals or for those enterprises of which activities involve products or by–products derived from fishery and aquaculture animals.
• Sometimes, the experts from NRL participate to inspection and control actions directed to fish farms and aquaculture animals, 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 fish diseases, 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 fish diseases.
• They also participate to design the technical programs, the national and international projects regarding fish diseases diagnosis and surveillance.
• The NRL experts participate or manage the research activities of national or international research programmes on fish diseases.

4. Activity in relation with correspondent Community Reference Laboratory

• Attendance to workshops organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases
  • 2002 – Fish Diseases
  • 2003 – Fish Diseases
  • 2004 – Fish Diseases
  • 2005 – Fish Diseases
  • 2006 – Fish Diseases
  • 2007 – Epidemiology and Surveillance of aquatic animals
  • 2007 – Fish Diseases
  • 2008 – Diagnosis of exotic diseases in fish: EUS and EHN
  • 2008 – Fish Diseases
  • 2009 – Implementation of Councile Directive 2006/88/CE
  • 2009 – Fish Diseases
• Attendance to trainings
  • 1999 – Fish Diseases
  • 2005 – Viral fish diseases
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • 2005 – Isolation and identification of fish viruses listed in Council Directive 91/67/EEC, organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases
  • 2007 – Isolation and identification of fish viruses listed in Council Directive 91/67/CE, organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases
  • 2008 – Isolation and identification of fish viruses listed in Council Directive 2006/88/EC against other fish viruses, organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases
  • 2009 – Isolation and identification of fish viruses listed in Council Directive 2006/88/EC against other fish viruses, organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases
  • 2009 – Detection and counting of Anisakis larvae in fish organized by Community Reference Laboratory for Parasites, Roma, Italy

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

• Attendance to workshops
  • –
• Attendance to trainings
  • 2006 – Diagnosis of bacterial diseases in fresh water fishes, organized by National Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases Italy, Padova Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • 2008 – 2 participations to the inter–comparison test on “Diagnosis of bacterial diseases in cold water fish”, organized by Veterinary Laboratory Agency, Weybridge, United Kingdom
  • 2009 – 3 participations to the inter–comparison test on “Diagnosis of bacterial diseases in cold water fish”, organized by Veterinary Laboratory Agency, Weybridge, United Kingdom

6. Activity in relation with correspondent international reference laboratory

• Attendance to workshops
  • 2008 – Aquatic animals histopathology, organized by OIE Collaborating Centre for information on aquatic animal diseases, CEFAS, Weymouth, UK
• Attendance to trainings
  • –
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • 2007 – Detection of koi carp herpesvirus by molecular biology techniques, organized by OIE reference laboratory for koi carp herpesvirus, CEFAS, Weymouth, UK
  • 2008 – Detection of koi carp herpesvirus by molecular biology techniques, organized by OIE reference laboratory for koi carp herpesvirus, CEFAS, Weymouth, UK

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

• Attendance to workshops
  • 2006 – Amendament to the Commission Decision 90/424/EEC, Council Directive draft regarding on animal health requirements for aquaculture animals and products thereof, and on the prevention and control of certain diseases in aquatic animals, organized by European Commission
  • 2006 – Amendament to the Commission Decision 90/424/EEC, Council Directive draft regarding on animal health requirements for aquaculture animals and products thereof, and on the prevention and control of certain diseases in aquatic animals, organized by European Commission
  • 2007 – 2 workshops on „Implementation of Council Directive 2006/88/EC”, organized by European Commission
• Attendance to trainings
  • –
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • –

8. Activity in relation with counties SVFSLs

• Workshop organization
  • –
• Training organization
  • 1995 – Particularities for fish diseases diagnosis
  • 1996 – Particularities for fish diseases diagnosis
  • 1997 – Particularities for fish diseases diagnosis
  • 1998 – Particularities for fish diseases diagnosis
  • 1999 – Particularities for fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2000 – Particularities for fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2001 – Particularities for fish diseases diagnosis, Aquatic polution/ implication and diagnosis
  • 2002 – Particularities for bacterial and viral fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2003 – Particularities for bacterial and viral fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2004 – Particularities for bacterial and viral fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2005 – Particularities for bacterial and viral fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2006 – Particularities for bacterial and viral fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2007 – Particularities for bacterial and viral fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2008 – Particularities for bacterial and viral fish diseases diagnosis
  • 2009 – Particularities for bacterial and viral fish diseases diagnosis
• Performing inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • 1995 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 1996 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 1997 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 1998 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 1999 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 2000 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 2001 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 2002 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 2003 – Identification of pathogens in fish
  • 2004 – Diagnosis of bacterial and parasitical diseases in fish
  • 2005 – Diagnosis of bacterial and parasitical diseases in fish
  • 2006 – Identification of parasites in fish and identification of pathogenic bacteria in fish
  • 2007 – Identification of parasites in fish and identification of pathogenic bacteria in fish
  • 2008 – Identification of parasites in fish and identification of pathogenic bacteria in fish
  • 2009 – Identification of conditioned pathogenic bacteria isolated in fish and identification of pathogenic bacteria in fish

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

• Workshop organization
  • –
• Training organization
  • 2000 – Fish hematology, a training activity in benefit of the Institute of animal science and veterinary medicine, Ningxia, China, Dr. Xie Qin
• Performing inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • –