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Since its creation in 1924, WOAH (founded as OIE) has grown in stature and has gathered more Members. The full list of our Members can be consulted here.

The global network of Reference Centres of WOAH (founded as OIE) is the core of our scientific expertise. A WOAH Reference Centre is designated either as a Reference Laboratory or as a Collaborating Centre. View below the WOAH Reference Centres designated in May at this year’s General Session. View here the comprehensive list of our Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres.

• New OIE Reference Laboratories

  African swine fever

  Dr Zhiliang Wang
  National Surveillance and Research Center for Exotic Animal Diseases
  China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center (CAHEC)
  369 Nanjing Road
  Qingdao 266032
  PEOPLE’S REP. OF CHINA
  Tel.: +86 532 85 63 91 66
  E-mail: wangzhiliang@cahec.cn

  This new OIE Reference Laboratory focuses mainly on diagnosis, surveillance and research on African swine fever (ASF), running under a quality assurance system accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005. The laboratory applies multiple tools to its activities, including PCR, genotyping, genome sequencing, virus isolation and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for ASF. The laboratory drafted and modified the national diagnostic standards and the national plan for the prevention and control of ASF and is therefore able to provide training courses on diagnosis, surveillance and field investigation for ASF. It can also provide assistance to OIE Members in capacity building for these purposes. Finally, the laboratory has animal biosafety level 3 facilities, which can be used for in-vivo studies or vaccine development.

  Avian influenza

  Dr Abdelsatar Arafa
  Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production
  Animal Health Research Institute
  Agricultural Research Center
  Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation
  7 Nadi El-Said Street
  P.O. Box 12618
  Dokki, Giza
  EGYPT
  Tel.: +20 2 33 37 09 58 / +20 2 33 37 09 57 / +20 2 33 38 01 21
  E-mail: araby85@hotmail.com

  This new OIE Reference Laboratory will receive samples and provide diagnostic testing services for avian influenza. The laboratory will provide training in the diagnosis of avian influenza in response to requests from OIE Members. It can also support OIE Members through scientific and technical consultations on disease diagnosis and laboratory examinations. Finally, the laboratory will supply diagnostic materials to OIE Members for disease detection and serotyping.

  Bovine viral diarrhoea

  Dr Kerstin Wernike
  Institute of Diagnostic Virology
  Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
  Federal Research Institute for Animal Health
  Südufer 10
  17493 Greifswald – Insel Riems
  GERMANY
  Tel.: +49 38351 7 1212
  E-mail: kerstin.wernike@fli.de

  This new OIE Reference Laboratory focuses on diagnosis and research related to bovine viral diarrhoea virus and other ruminant pestiviruses. It can perform diagnostic investigations involving genome detection, subtyping, sequencing, antigen detection, virus isolation and serology. This laboratory also organises inter-laboratory proficiency tests. The Reference Laboratory has extensive experience in the eradication of bovine viral diarrhoea and in the determination of freedom from the disease. It also provides technical consultations on the prevention and control of bovine viral diarrhoea.

  Brucellosis (Brucella abortus, B. melitensis)

  Dr Mahmoud Hamdy
  Department of Brucellosis Research
  Animal Health Research Institute
  Agricultural Research Center
  Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation
  7 Nadi El-Said Street
  P.O. Box 12618
  Dokki, Giza
  EGYPT
  Tel.: +20 1 222 28 14 76
  E-mail: merhamdy@ahri.gov.eg

  This new OIE Reference Laboratory is devoted to surveillance, diagnosis, research and control programmes for brucellosis (Brucella abortus and B. melitensis). A variety of standard serological tests in addition to bacteriological/polymerase chain reaction identification of Brucella to the species/biovar level are undertaken. Diagnostic testing is performed under a quality assurance system certified to ISO/IEC 9001:2015 and accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. The laboratory provides reference reagents, as well as consultation/training via an accredited training and consultation centre. The Reference Laboratory has the capacity to perform in-vivo studies on brucellosis in a biosafety level 3 animal house facility.

  Contagious equine metritis

  Dr Sandrine Petry
  ANSES – Laboratoire de santé animale, site de Normandie
  Unité de physiopathologie et d’épidémiologie des maladies équines
  Goustranville
  14430 Dozulé
  FRANCE
  Tel.: +33 2 31 79 22 76
  E-mail: sandrine.petry@anses.fr

  This new OIE Reference Laboratory, which is also the European Union Reference Laboratory for equine diseases (other than African horse sickness), including contagious equine metritis, has the expertise and resources for laboratory diagnostics and research on contagious equine metritis. Diagnostic tests are based on bacteriology, immunofluorescence and real-time PCR methods, which are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. This laboratory provides anti-Taylorella equigenitalis serum for the slide agglutination test and identifies strains of the genus Taylorella. It is also able to organise inter-laboratory testing and can provide scientific and technical assistance, and training, in the diagnosis of contagious equine metritis.

  Equine influenza

  Dr Manabu Nemoto
  Equine Research Institute
  Japan Racing Association
  1400-4 Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 3290412
  JAPAN
  Tel.: +81 285 44 0090
  E-mail: nemoto_manabu@equinst.go.jp

  This new OIE Reference Laboratory provides diagnosis, consultation and research for the prevention and control of equine influenza. The Equine Research Institute is owned by the Japan Racing Association, which is the horse racing authority in Japan. The laboratory has provided the OIE Expert Surveillance Panel on Equine Influenza Vaccine Composition with information on antigenic analysis using horse antisera. Additionally, the laboratory can supply horse antisera against H3N8 equine influenza virus for serological testing and positive controls for reverse-transcription PCR.

• New OIE Collaborating Centres

  Economics of animal health

  Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Food Systems
  Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) Programme
  Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
  University of Liverpool
  UNITED KINGDOM
  Tel. +44 151 794 61 13
  E-mail: j.rushton@liverpool.ac.uk
  Website-1: www.liverpool.ac.uk/centre-for-sustainable-food-systems/
  Website-2: www.liverpool.ac.uk/infection-veterinary-and-ecological-sciences/

  This multi-national OIE Collaborating Centre will include participation from the following institutions:

  Norwegian Veterinary Institute
  P.O. Box 750 Sentrum
  0106 Oslo
  NORWAY
  Tel. +47 91 61 85 87
  E-mail: edgar.brun@vetinst.no
  Website: www.vetinst.no

  Department of Population Health Sciences
  Utrecht University
  THE NETHERLANDS
  Tel. +31 30 253 10 91
  E-mail: j.a.stegeman@uu.nl
  Website: www.uu.nl/en/organisation/faculty-of-veterinary-medicine/about-the-faculty/department-population-health-sciences/

  The OIE Collaborating Centre for Economics of Animal Health will focus on the systematic use of and training in methods related to the economics of animal health with outcomes that are aligned with the Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) programme. Therefore, the Collaborating Centre will specialise in the following three areas:
  – improving methods to estimate animal disease and health burdens, including information on where they occur, who is affected, and the causes and risk factors;
  – improving access to and standardisation of animal disease and health burden information through the development of a shared, cloud-based knowledge engine;
  – improving the capacity to interpret and use information on animal diseases and health burdens.

  This will be achieved by a multi-disciplinary team of economists, epidemiologists, veterinary clinicians, computer scientists and educators. The team will include early career researchers and provide PhD opportunities as it aims to increase expertise in the discipline of animal health economics.

  Good beekeeping management practices and biosecurity measures in the apiculture sector

  Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana
  Via Appia Nuova 1411
  00178 Roma
  ITALY
  Tel. +39 06 79 09 91
  E-mail-1: giovanni.formato@izslt.it
  E-mail-2: segreteriadir@izslt.it
  Website: www.izslt.it/apicoltura/

  The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana (IZSLT) is one of ten Italian Governmental Institutes working within the Ministry of Health network to perform laboratory analysis, research, epidemiological surveillance and international cooperation activities in animal and public health, food safety, and livestock health and production.

  The Centre supports the OIE by assisting its Members in various activities related to the application of good beekeeping management practices and biosecurity measures in the apiculture sector. The Centre aims to increase the quality of hive production by encouraging the proper and prudent use of medicines in beekeeping, in line with the OIE 6th Strategic Plan.

  The main focus area of this OIE Collaborating Centre⁽¹⁾ is animal health management, including:
  – bee diseases
  – good beekeeping practices
  – biosecurity measures in beekeeping
  – early detection of bee diseases
  – monitoring bee health
  – innovation in the prevention and control of bee diseases, including sustainable approaches
  – coordination of experimental activities and field trials in different countries to monitor innovative approaches
  – diagnosis of bee diseases in the field
  – proper use of antimicrobials in bees and antimicrobial resistance.

  It also focuses on aspects of bee diseases that have a potential impact on humans:
  – infant botulism
  – allergies and intoxications caused by plant alkaloids (pollen)
  – aspergillosis
  – residues in hive products
  – epidemiology, monitoring and surveillance of honey bee diseases
  – risk assessment.
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  (1) List of main focus areas and specialties for OIE Collaborating Centres