National Reference Laboratory for Foot and Mouth Disease and
Other Vesicular Diseases in Animals

1. NRL experts

• NRL coordinator

  Dr. Diaconu Claudiu, PhD candidate
  tel. 0374.322.106 / 0741.079.391
  e–mail: claudiu.diaconu @idah.ro

• NRL deputy coordinator

  Dr. Donescu Daniel, post-university studies in veterinary laboratory diagnosis

• Team working

  Dr. Hristescu Doru
  Ch. Coste Handan, PhD in biology
  Dr. Bădulescu Raluca
  Dr. Apostu Cristian, undergraduated studies in specialty – animal health management

2. Correspondent Community Reference Laboratory

• Community Reference Laboratory Foot and Mouth Disease, Institut für Virologieder Tierarztlichen Hochschule Hanover, Bischofscholer Damm 15 , D-3000 Hannover 1, Germany
• Community Reference Laboratory Swine Vesicular Disease, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright Laboratory, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey GU24 ONF, United Kingdom

3. Specific atributions

• The specialists working in this NRL have the responsibility for drawing up the following handbooks: „Manual for Foot and Mouth (FMD) Disease Diagnosis”, „Manual for Swine Vesicular Disease (SVD) Diagnosis” and „Manual for Animal Vesicular Diseases other then FMD and SVD Diagnosis”.
• They also perform the changes and/or supplements for „Manual for Foot and Mouth Disease Diagnosis”, „Manual for Swine Vesicular Disease Diagnosis” and „Manual for Animal Vesicular Diseases other then FMD and SVD 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 foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• The experts coordinate pre-taking and drawing up the standards and diagnostic methods of foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals in Romania.
• They carry out researches activities, assimilate and draw up the new analytical methods for laboratory diagnosis and surveillance of foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• They participate together with the others national reference laboratories for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals from Member States, to the international inter-comparison and proficiency tests organized by Community Reference Laboratory Foot and Mouth Disease and Community Reference Laboratory Swine Vesicular Disease.
• They participate to the quality assurance activities and method standardization for diagnosis, surveillance and screening of foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals, organized by Community Reference Laboratory Foot and Mouth Disease and Community Reference Laboratory Swine Vesicular Disease.
• The NRL specialists collaborate with Community Reference Laboratory Foot and Mouth Disease and Community Reference Laboratory Swine Vesicular Disease and benefit from training organized by these and supplying diagnostic standards, methods, reagents or diagnosis standards for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• The NRL experts collaborate with national reference laboratories for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals 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 foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• In accordance with provisions of diagnosis manuals, they carry out the laboratory tests/assays for diagnosis and surveillance of foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• The NRL experts supply the diagnosis expertise for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• The NRL experts supply the diagnosis expertise for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals 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 foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• In preparation for yielding certain diagnosis reagents for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals, with the aim to supply them for all authorized sanitary veterinary and food safety laboratories when they will have correspondent biosecurity conditions to risk level.
• They coordinate the drawing up of diagnosis standards and methods for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• 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 foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• The NRL experts carry out specific activities for identification and characterization the etiological agents of foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals, their origin, type, subtype and variant.
• NRL has the responsibility to characterize the foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases of animal etiological agent strains, their genetic typing and designing the epidemiological genetic charts.
• They preserve the foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases of animal 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 foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals 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 Foot and Mouth Disease and Community Reference Laboratory Swine Vesicular Disease, World Animal Health Organization, national reference laboratories for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals 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 foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals with the aim of establishing the national strategies and policies on foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• 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 foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in 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 foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals and to calibration of national reference secondary sera against international primary standard sera.
• They participate to the elaboration of law drafts for foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals.
• They also participate to design the technical programs, the national and international projects regarding foot and mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and other vesicular diseases in animals 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
  • 2002 – Foot and mouth disease and bluetongue diagnosis, Sofia, Bulgaria
  • 2002 – Foot and mouth disease control strategies – International Symposium, Lyon, France
  • 2002 – Diagnosis of foot and mouth disease, rinderpest and peste des petits ruminants, Ankara, Turkey
  • 2004 – Design of laboratory contingency plans for foot and mouth disease control, Cordoba, Spain
• Attendance to trainings
  • 1999 – Vesicular diseases diagnosis in animals, Valdeolmos, Spain
  • 2004 – Level III biosecurity conditions - IVI - Mittehlausern, Switzerland
  • 2004 – Management for level III biosecurity laboratories – ID Lelystad, Netherlands
  • 2004 – The 5th International Course for diagnosis of exotic infectious diseases in animals - Plum Island, USA
  • 2009 - „Red Alert” simulation exercise for foot and mouth disease control, Gura Humorului, Romania
• Participation to the international inter–comparison and proficiency tests
  • 2007 – Foot and mouth disease and swine vesicular disease combined proficiency studies
  • 2008 – Foot and mouth disease and swine vesicular disease combined proficiency studies
  • 2009 – Foot and mouth disease and swine vesicular disease combined proficiency studies

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
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6. Activity in relation with correspondent international reference laboratory

• Attendance to workshops
  • –
• 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
  • 2002 – Implementation the Community directives on animal health conditions for intracommunity trade with live animals from cattle, swine, sheep and goats species , organized by TAIEX, Brussels, Belgium
  • 2003 – The 35th General Session of the European Commission for Foot and Mouth Disease Control (EUFMD), Rome, Italy
  • 2003 – The 11th World Association for Laboratory Diagnosis Experts International Symposium and OIE Seminar on biotechnology, Bangkok, Thailand
  • 2004 – OIE International Conference - IABs on animal infectious diseases control using vaccination, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 2004 – EUFMD Scientific Committee Session, Crete, Greece
  • 2005 – The 36th General Session of the European Commission on Foot and Mouth Disease Control, Rome, Italy
  • 2006 – The 73 th Session of the EUFMD Executive Committee
  • 2006 – Foot and mouth disease worldwide control - resources, trends, perspectives, Scientific Committee EUFMD Session, Paphos, Cyprus
  • 2007 – The 74th Session of the EUFMD Executive Committee
  • 2007 – The 37th General Session of the European Commission on Foot and Mouth Disease Control, Rome, Italy
  • 2007 – Postvaccination serosurveillance design and interpretation for foot and mouth disease using laboratory tests to detect NSP, TAIEX, Brussels, Belgium
• 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
  • 2001- 3 training activities regarding „Developments on foot and mouth disease in animals”
• 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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