The Centre is celebrating the publication of its tenth scientific article as a result of the work carried out in Activity 3 in 2023-2024. The aim of this study was to study the impacts of a covered veranda on broiler chicken welfare. This article named "Positive impacts of a covered veranda on broiler chicken welfare" has been published in Poultry Science and is available here.

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An inter-laboratory proficiency test is being organized to assess the performance and conformity of laboratories in detecting Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius, the causative agents of American and European foulbrood in honeybees. Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of results provided by participating laboratories in the detection of these pathogens.   Diagnostic Methods Assessed: Microscopy Conventional and/or real-time PCR Bacterial culture   Test Matrix: Crushed bee larvae   Provisional Timeline: Registration deadline: 30 May 2025 Sample distribution: June 2025   Eligibility Criteria: Participation in this PT is mandatory for NRLs  from EU Member States, in accordance with their area of competence. Failure to participate may constitute a breach of regulatory obligations. Participation by other laboratories, including NRLs from Non-EU or third countries, may be considered; however, it is subject to feasibility and specific conditions. Please note: Laboratories outside the mandatory participation framework that wish to take part in the external performance evaluation are kindly invited to consult the "PT Presentation Sheet" on the LEILA online platform or contact us at eurl.bee@anses.fr for further information.   Important Note: Registration is now available through the LEILA online platform, accessible via the following link: https://leila.anses.fr (Reference: PLMP25EU).

On next May 13-14 will take place the 4 EURCAWs meeting in Heraklion, Greece. This meeting will bring together all EURCAW teams—EURCAW Aqua, EURCAW Ruminants, EURCAW-Poultry-SFA, and EURCAW Pigs—to foster collaboration, strategic discussions, and knowledge-sharing on key topics of common interest.

The 15th annual workshop will be held at ANSES Sophia Antipolis (France) on Wednesday 15th October 2025. The EURL will welcome the representatives of the European and Third-Country NRLs. The annual workshop is the opportunity for the NRL network to exchange, to receive news from the partners and to give information on the activities run during the year. More information to come. Stay tuned!

  == March 27th & March 28th 2025 ==     The second Up4Food kickoff meeting is starting today in IBA Bucharest, bringing together all partners to discuss progress and plan the next steps for the project.      

An outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease has been reported in Slovakia in domestic cattle for the first time in 50 years. Cases have been detected in three farms located in the southern part of the country. This is the third case in the EU in 2025 after the outbreaks in Germany in January and in Hungary in March. Restriction zones have been set up around the farms. The identification of the serotype is pending. For more information: Slovakia records first foot-and-mouth cases, minister says | Reuters; WAHIS

This scientific note presents a state of play of the geographical distribution and spread of Tropilaelaps spp. mites, parasite of bees and exotic in the European Union (EU) in March 2025. It can be downloaded as a pdf here.   It has been initially published in French on the website of the French Animal Health Epidemiological Surveillance Platform on 3rd March 2025. It was translated into English and updated following the detection of Tropilaelaps spp. in Azerbaijan.   Highlights  Geographical spread of Tropilaelaps spp. mites occured in the last decade. Detection of Tropilaelaps mercedesae in territories close to the European Union: presence in the Russian regions of Krasnodar and Rostov (close to Ukraine and Georgia) since 2021 at least, and in Georgia since 2023 at least. Increased risk of introduction into the EU due to the geographical spread of the parasite and climatic conditions favouring its survival. Among the two species of Tropilaelaps identified in Apis mellifera, T. mercedesae has the larger geographical distribution. Phylogenetic data provide a better understanding of the links between the different introductions, but still need to be consolidated. Data source Data extracted on 14 March 2024 of the World Animal Health Information System of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WAHIS-WOAH). Scientific publications (see at the end) Informal sources (e.g. beekeeping associations’ websites, exchanges with scientists from concerned countries).   Note to readers: Few health events on Tropilaelaps spp. are reported to WOAH. Most of the data analysed in this article come from scientific publications and come from studies conducted in the framework of research projects and not from official surveillance systems. These data were collected according to different protocols and do not allow a detailed and comparable analysis of the health situation in each country. Since the European Union (EU) is currently free of Tropilaelaps spp., no data came from the EU Animal Disease Information System (ADIS).   Tropilaelaps mites are external parasites of bees, originating from Asia. They reproduce and feed in the brood on bee larvae and pupae. They cause weakening, hive desertions, colony mortality and potentially significant production losses. Since Tropilaelaps depends on bee brood for its food, its survival time on adult bees and in bee matrices (e.g. pollen, royal jelly, honey, hive frame) is short (around 3 to 6 days) (Franco and Duquesne 2024).   Four species of Tropilaelaps have been described: T. clareae, T. koenigerum, T. mercedesae and T. thaï. Originally, each species tends to be associated with a giant Asian honeybee, such as Apis dorsata, Apis laboriosa and Apis breviligula. Currently, only T. mercedesae and T. clareae reproduce on Apis mellifera brood, the honeybee of European origin. These species have adapted to this new host, in which they can reproduce and ensure their parasitic cycles (de Guzman et al. 2017).   Infestation of honey bees with Tropilaelaps spp. mites is included in the list of diseases of Apinae of the WOAH. The WOAH member states are required to provide information on their health situation via the WAHIS system.   The European Union, which is free from this exotic parasitosis, regulates this disease for bees of the genus Apis. Infestation with Tropilaelaps spp. is listed in categories D and E in the EU Regulation 2018/1882 and in accordance with the Animal Health Law (EU Regulation 2016/429). Its presence must be notified.   Evolution of the geographical distribution Description Tropilaelaps spp. mites were first identified in the 1960s in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia where their primary hosts, giant honeybees, live. Delfinado and Baker first described this mite in the Philippines in 1961 (Delfinado and Baker 1961). Since then, its observation in Asia has continued to increase. However, the precise geographical distribution of Tropilaelaps and its different species remains relatively poorly understood; only a few studies exist on the subject (Figure 1 and 2). The species T. mercedesae is the most widespread in Asia. It is present in areas with a tropical climate as well as a temperate climate (Figure 2). Tropilaelaps mercedesae has been confused with T. clareae for a long time. T. clareae is the other species infesting A. mellifera and it has only been reported in the Philippines (except the Palawan Islands) and Indonesia (de Guzman et al. 2017). The geographical range of T. clareae is therefore much smaller than the geographical range of T. mercedesae (Figure 2).   Figure 1 Geographical distribution of the two Tropilaelaps species not observed in...

  Last week, Petru Jitaru attended the European Winter Plasma Conference in Berlin, where he presented the first results about the analysis of Trace elements in fish side-streams.   This work was well received, standing out as the only research of its kind at the conference and highlighting the novelty of this topic.      

An outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease has been reported in Hungary in domestic cattle. The outbreak is located in the North-west of the country in the administrative zone of Győr-Moson-Sopron. This is the second case in the EU in 2025 after the outbreak in Germany in January. Restriction zones have been set up around the outbreak and animals have been slaughtered. Following sequencing, the strain responsible for the infection was identified : O/ME-SA/PanAsia2/ANT10. For more information: https://portal.nebih.gov.hu/-/megjelent-a-ragados-szaj-es-koromfajas-betegseg-magyarorszagon; WAHIS