Last updated on 14-12-2022 by Pierre Daubresse
Project duration:
-
January 1, 1960
Project with no end date
In short
We house three National Reference Centers (NRC) that conduct ISO 17025/15189 laboratory surveillance for four main bacterial diseases:
- Salmonellosis in humans, including typhoid and paratyphoid fever – Request for analyses
- Shigellosis, including bacillary dysentery – Request for analyses
- Lysteriosis – Request for analyses
- Meningococcal disease – Request for analyses
Project description
The purpose of our national surveillance program is to document the occurrence and trends of serovars, detect and study local, regional, national or international epidemics, identify and eliminate the source or sources, and recommend prevention measures. Belgium is one of the first countries to introduce whole genome sequencing in the surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes and Neisseria meningitidis, and in the epidemiological investigation of Salmonella and Shigella.
We receive human clinical isolates from over 160 clinical laboratories spread throughout the country. In our day-to-day work, we focus on:
- detecting and confirming the pathogen identified from human samples
- confirming the diagnosis of the peripheral laboratory and identifying the isolate’s serotype
- conducting genetic research to quickly identify relationships between isolates in the event of epidemics, infections or severe illnesses
- establishing national and annual incidence reference data
- conducting part of the official program for monitoring zoonoses in Belgium in order to comply with European regulations (92/117/CE, 2003/99/CE and CE/2160/2003)
- the daily improvement of our methods, in accordance with the latest cutting-edge technologies, (whole genome sequencing, MALDI-TOF, etc.)
- conducting scientific research (concentration of expertise and national and international representation)
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