| Popis: |
The 26th workshop for the European National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) for Salmonella took place in May 2021. RIVM has created a collection of the reports of the various presentations. The workshop takes place each year, the aim being to enable information sharing between the European body, the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for Salmonella, and the NRLs. Due to the SARS-CoV-2-virus pandemic, the workshop was held online for the second time. Each workshop devotes a lot of attention to the Proficiency Tests organised by the EURL to monitor the quality of the NRLs. The three final Proficiency Tests were presented on this most recent occasion. The 2020 Proficiency Test examined hygiene swab samples, with that of 2021 examining liquid egg. The third Proficiency Test focused on the typing of various Salmonella strains using standard techniques and DNA techniques, with Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) primarily used for the latter, which allows very precise typing of micro-organisms. The NRLs achieved high scores for the 2020 and 2021 Proficiency Tests. Below is a brief outline of the Proficiency Tests. More information is available in the individual reports published for each Proficiency Test. One particular presentation discussed the system that is currently being set up for the storage of the WSG data of all countries in the European Union. This data will be able to be used effectively in the investigation of sources of infection with a Salmonella bacteria. The NRLs for Salmonella of the Czech Republic, Ireland and Slovenia provided a presentation of how they carry out their statutory remit. The EURL-Salmonella, which is part of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), is responsible for organising the workshop. A core task of the EURL-Salmonella is to monitor the quality of the National Reference Laboratories concerning this bacterium in Europe. |
