European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for Rift Valley Fever
The European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL) for Rift Valley Fever (RVF) ensures high-quality diagnostic methods and performance in National Reference Laboratories (NRLs), provides scientific and technical assistance to NRLs, supports the European Commission and other organisations, and maintains high standards for diagnostic methods and reference reagents.
In accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 2017/625 of the European Parliament and the Council, dated 15 March 2017, which governs official controls and activities to ensure the enforcement of food and feed legislation, as well as regulations on animal health and welfare, plant health, and phytosanitary products, on 24 November 2022, the European Commission officially designated the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise (IZSAM) in Teramo as the European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL) for Rift Valley Fever (RVF). RVF is a viral disease primarily transmitted by mosquitoes, affecting both animals and humans, with potentially significant economic and health consequences.
Coordinating the NRL network is one of the laboratory’s primary activities, ensuring the rapid detection of any potential virus introduction into Europe. Additionally, it guarantees the adoption of high-quality methods and performance in compliance with strict analytical standards. In the event of epidemic emergencies, the laboratory conducts epidemiological investigations and laboratory analyses, confirming previous diagnoses and immediately communicating any positive results to the competent authorities of the sample’s country of origin and the European Commission.
The laboratory provides scientific and technical support to NRLs, facilitating the sharing of essential knowledge and expertise to optimise diagnostic procedures and train laboratory personnel. Although the virus is not present within the European Union, the institute is committed to enhancing and standardising diagnostic capabilities, conducting proficiency testing, providing reference methods and materials, and promoting continuous training programmes. It also focuses on validating and distributing standard operating procedures for reference laboratories, characterising emerging molecular and biological strains, and producing reference reagents, offering updates and training to national laboratories and third countries.
The laboratory provides highly qualified personnel to manage critical situations and supports the development of surveillance programmes. It promotes official analytical techniques and is actively engaged in research and the development of new and more accurate diagnostic and immunological methods. These efforts are part of coordinated research programmes aimed at the prevention, control, and eradication of the disease.
The EU-RL contributes to a research and monitoring network in collaboration with the European Commission and other international organisations. It establishes partnerships with international institutions for the exchange of materials and technologies and collaborates with the medical sector to ensure interventions aligned with a One Health approach. The laboratory is also part of high-level research teams developing and validating predictive models to identify areas at higher risk of virus introduction and spread, based on recent findings on virus characteristics and vector competence.
Finally, the laboratory organises and participates in research projects in endemic countries, aiming to deepen the understanding of the disease’s epidemiology, viral properties, and vector biology. Additionally, it provides consultancy and rapid diagnostic support to the European Commission to ensure an efficient and coordinated response to potential emergency situations.
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Giovanni Savini
Head
Giovanni Savini was born in Rome in 1960. After earning a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Milan in 1986, he began his career in the Serology Unit of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Abruzzo and Molise, where he initiated important collaborations with international institutions. In 1989, he moved to Australia, where he spent four years studying the epidemiological, clinical, pathological and laboratory aspects of protozoal diseases in various animal species. At the end of this period, he obtained a PhD from Murdoch University in Western Australia.
Giovanni Savini was born in Rome in 1960. After earning a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Milan in 1986, he began his career in the Serology Unit of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Abruzzo and Molise, where he initiated important collaborations with international institutions. In 1989, he moved to Australia, where he spent four years studying the epidemiological, clinical, pathological and laboratory aspects of protozoal diseases in various animal species. At the end of this period, he obtained a PhD from Murdoch University in Western Australia.
In 1994, Savini returned to the Institute in Teramo, where he served as Head of the Virology Unit from 1999 to 2024. Under his leadership, the Unit launched numerous research projects funded by the Italian government and the European Commission, collaborating with major international research institutions. In 1998, he specialised in Animal Health, Livestock Hygiene and Animal Production at the University of Pisa, with a focus on infectious diseases in farm animals. In 2005, thanks to his scientific and managerial expertise, he was appointed Head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Reference Laboratory for Bluetongue.
His research primarily focuses on viral vector-borne diseases of veterinary importance, such as Bluetongue, African Horse Sickness and Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease. He also works on diseases with potential public health implications, including Rift Valley Fever, West Nile and Usutu. He has contributed as an expert to numerous scientific working groups set up by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), at the request of the European Commission. In November 2014, he was the scientific coordinator of the Fourth International Conference on Bluetongue, held in Rome.
Since 2010, Savini has been a member of the Community Veterinary Emergency Team, the European Commission’s task force for responding to animal health emergencies in Europe and third countries. Since 2018, he has been Head of the Animal Health Laboratory. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Veterinaria Italiana from September 2012 to February 2025 and as Medical Director of the Institute from 4 July 2014 to 9 February 2017.Since 16 March 2020, he has coordinated SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic activities at IZS-Teramo. As of 1 January 2023, he is Head of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Rift Valley Fever, working with national laboratories in EU Member States to harmonise methods and diagnostic techniques, and providing training on their use. He also liaises with the European Commission to provide technical and scientific support.
He is the author of over 230 scientific publications on infectious diseases in domestic animals, with a particular focus on vector-borne diseases.
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