WOAH Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis

IZSAM was appointed OIE Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis in 1993. WOAH has a world wide network of Reference Laboratories with seats in any continents. Each Reference Laboratory undertakes to supply technical and scientific assistance, as well as expert counselling on issues connected to the screening and control of the disease it is responsible for. The Reference Laboratory may also provide scientific and technical training for personnel of other nations, coordinate scientific and technical studies together with other Laboratories or Organizations, also through twinning projects (OIE Laboratory Twinning).

More specifically, the Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis is engaged into:

• Using, promoting and spreading diagnostic methods validated according to WOAH Standards;
• Recommending established or alternative methods or vaccines detailed in the Standard Manual;
• Issuing reference materials according to the standards supplied by WOAH and promoting their use;
• Procuring reference materials and reagents needed to diagnose and control Brucellosis and distributing them to National Laboratories;
• Developing, standardizing and validating new procedures to diagnose and control Brucellosis according to WOAH principles;
• providing diagnostic support and its technical and scientific expertise, when necessary, to establish brucellosis control measures;
• Leading and/or coordinating technical and scientific studies together with other Centres, Laboratories or Organizations;
• Collecting, processing, analyzing, publishing and disseminating data and information on brucellosis;
• Within its acknowledged competences, supplying technical and scientific training to the personnel from the Institutions of WOAH Member States;
• Ensuring the implementation of quality standards into laboratories, as well as the compliance with biosafety rules and the implementation of appropriate biological restraint rules with reference to handling its relevant pathogenic agent;
• Organizing and taking part into scientific events upon request of the WOAH ;
• Creating and supporting a network with other WOAH Reference Laboratories of its expertise field and regularly organize interlaboratory circuits to ensure the results compatibility;
• Organizing interlaboratory circuits with Laboratories engaged into brucellosis diagnosis, in order to ensure quality analytical results;
• Providing WOAH with any counselling by its experts.