Animal health | PT VET

Veterinary proficiency test (PT VET)

The service “Quality of Laboratories” organises an external quality assessment (EQA) for diagnostic tests related to veterinary medicine.

Laboratories, approved by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) for performing diagnostic tests within the framework of the official surveillance and monitoring programmes for animal diseases, must take part in this EQA (Royal Decree of 15 April 2005).

15 April 2005 — Royal decree on the designation of official laboratories, laying down the procedure and the conditions of approval of laboratories performing analyses within the framework of the control mission of the FASFC and implementing the Law of 15 July 1985 on the use in animals of substances having a hormonal, anti-hormonal, beta-adrenergic or production-enhancing action

Other laboratories may voluntarily participate in the quality evaluation after agreement of the service “Quality of laboratories”.

Content of the programme

Number of proficiency tests per year​: 10 till 15

Number of samples per proficiency test: 5 till 20

Sample type:

The EQA uses a split-level (different levels of analysis) and a split-sample (different aliquots of the same sample) design, which allows the accuracy and/or precision to be demonstrated at different levels. In addition, samples close to the cut-off value can be included for which different acceptance criteria are used to collect information on the sensitivity of the analytical methods used and/or participating laboratories.

Parameters:

African swine fever (ASF), Aujeszky’s disease (AUJ), Blue tongue virus (BTV), Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Bovine tuberculosis (BT), Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), Brucellosis, Capripox (CPX), Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD), Classical swine fever (CSF), Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), Leptospirosis, Paratuberculosis (PT), Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), Q-fever, Salmonella pullorum/gallinarum, Scrapie and Visna maedi.

Domain-specific instructions

Manual for the participants

Manual toolkit

Participation

This programme was initially intended for FASFC-approved laboratories, but has been extended to other veterinary laboratories in Belgium and worldwide (private and state laboratories, etc.).

The profiency test for Capripox was organised in cooperation with EURL and includes numerous laboratories (EU and non-EU).

EQA calendars

2024         2023         2022         2021

Submission of results

Laboratories preferably submit their results via the Toolkit (password required).

Toolkit

Participants will also receive an answer form on paper that can be used. The completed answer form should be submitted by e-mail to EQAtoolkit@sciensano.be.

Reports

Preliminary reports

An English preliminary report is sent by e-mail to all participants 4 weeks at the latest before the deadline for the submission of the results and will be made available on this website. This report contains the necessary information for the participants to assess their own performance.

Older reports are available on request.

Global reports

An English global report will be made available on this website at the latest 16 weeks after the deadline for submission of results. Participants will be informed by e-mail.

Older reports are available on request.

Annual reports

The laboratories approved by the FASFC receive an individual report every year that reflects their own overall performance.

In addition, a global annual report is prepared, which is made available on this website.

2022          2021          2020  

_{© sciensano. These reports may only be reproduced, published or distributed with the consent of sciensano.}

Coordination

Coordinator

Ynse Van de Maele
+32 2 642 55 24
​ynse.vandemaele@sciensano.be

Alternate coordinator

​Bernard China
+32 2 642 53 85
​bernard.china@sciensano.be

Secretariat

​+32 2 642 55 22                                       
​QL_secretariat@sciensano.be
​Rue Juliette Wytsmanstraat 14 • 1050 Brussel

ISO17043 accreditation

The service “Quality of Laboratories” is BELAC accredited on the basis of the ISO17043:2010 standard. This standard is specifically aimed at the organisation of external quality evaluations.

​ISO17043 accreditation scope

Advisory committee

The coordinator of the EQA is supported by an advisory committee, consisting of:

Veterinary diagnostics coordinator:

Simon Van de Bergh

Technical manager(s) of the reference laboratories of the service “Infectious diseases in animals” within Sciensano:

Marcella Mori
Cécile Boland
Sylvie Marche
Ilse De Leeuw
Wannes Philips
Marylene Tignon
Severine Matthijs

If necessary, the coordinator may appeal on the knowledge of other experts.