♦ November 16th 2021 ♦  An inter-laboratory test (ILT) dedicated to rabies molecular biology technique is soon to begin (first quarter of 2022). The registration is now closed. This ILT session will focus on the evaluation of the real-time RT-PCR techniques used in the National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) for the detection of Lyssavirus RNA. Participation to this assay will be open to European Union NRLs members only. The panel to be tested will include coded RNA Lyssavirus samples (with different level of Lyssavirus RNA and different Lyssavirus species, all belonging to the phylogroup 1), negative and positive RNA controls.

♦ 15 November 2021 ♦ The EURL for rabies website is being updated !  We hope you will enjoy it. Here's what's new : - Obselete links are being updated. - A few graphic changes are being implemented. As always, we will do our best to expand the website on a regular basis with additionnal updated information and documentation. More to come soon ! 

We would like to inform the network, that Dr. Alexandra Schoos is replacing Manon Bourg as Head and contact person of the Luxembourguish National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes hosted in the State Veterinry Laboratory (LMVE). Official Veterinary, she is the new technical manager of the Microbiologcal Department.

Finally the first EURL Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) on-site training had been successfully arranged since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. The EURL Lm organised a 5-day training session for the Greek NRL for Lm, the Department of Food Hygiene (Directorate of Veterinary Center of Athens, Directorate General of Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Rural Development & Food) in its premises of Athens. This training had involved 5 participants from the GR-NRL Lm, and  1 participant from the Cypriot NRL Lm, State General Laboratory on the GR-NRL's initiative. This kind of on-site training sessions can: allow the NRLs to update/upgrade their competences, strengthen the link with NRLs, strangthen the links between NRLs at local level.

https://marco2021.univ-littoral.fr/  

The EURL for Bee Health held its 11th annual workshop on 22nd and 23rd September 2021 by video conference. This workshop was a success with up to 59 participants connected at the same time. This year, the discussions focused on the American foulbrood and the advantages of new molecular tools for the study and surveillance of this disease. The EURL presented the development of a core genome multilocus sequence typing scheme (cgMLST) for P. larvae (EuroPLarva project), agent of the American foulbrood. Dr. Joakim Skarin from the EURL-Campylobacter, who also participated in this study, presented the diagnostic techniques using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies. Dr. Franco Mutinelli, Head of the Italian NRL, presented a state of play of the occurrence and surveillance of SHB in Southern Italy. Dr. Severine Matthijs, head of the Belgium NRL, gave a talk about the first laboratory results of a field study part of B-GOOD (the Horizon 2020 project). The participants had also the pleasure to listen to a presentation from the Polish NRL representative. Dr. Andrej Bober gave a talk on the Polish NRL activities and the honey bee health status in Poland. The workshop ended by the presentation of the EURL activities during the last period and the work perspectives. We warmly thank all the speakers for their interesting presentations and all the contributors for the fruitful discussions. Documents and presentations of the workshop can be found here for the NRL network.

Le Pr.Thanh Wang de l'Université d'Orebro (Suède) nous a présenté un séminaire sur le flux de traitement de données en HRMS. Merci au Dr. Florian Dubocq d'avoir organisé ce séminaire. Vidéo du séminaire

Thierno Diallo nous a présenté les Plans de Taguchi. Il a employé ces plans pour le développement d'une méthode Quechers-LC-HRMS. La vidéo du séminaire

Yassine Makni a présenté ses travaux de thèse à l'ACS en Aout 2021 dans le cadre des conférences d'automne organisées par l'ACS, le titre de sa conférence était: Screening of 204 pesticides in baby-food by UHPLC-QTOF Bravo Yassine pour cette première conférence!

It is with great emotion that we learned that Dr Noel Fenech passed away on 12 July 2021. Head of the Department for Health Regulation of the Public Health Laboratory (Valletta, Malta), he has been the Head of the Maltese National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes since March 2017. All EURL Listeria monocytogenes colleagues present our sincere condolances to his familly and our Maltese colleagues.