Foot-and-mouth disease is one of the most contagious viral diseases in animals. It affects cattle, small ruminants and suids (pigs, wild boars, etc.). Because of the considerable socio-economic repercussions that it entails, particularly in the agricultural sector, foot-and-mouth disease is one of the major pathologies affecting the production and international trade of foodstuffs of animal origin, food security and economic development. Even if this disease is not zoonotic, it remains one of the major concerns of breeders and health authorities.
ANSES’s Maisons-Alfort animal health laboratory, already a national reference laboratory for this disease, was awarded the reference mandate by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on 3 June. Obtaining this mandate constitutes recognition of the quality of its work and its commitment to animal health for more than a century.
This new recognition will in particular lead ANSES to:
- use, promote and disseminate diagnostic methods validated according to OIE standards to other laboratories on an international scale;
- develop reference material according to OIE requirements, and implement and promote the application of OIE standards;
- store and distribute to the national laboratories of OIE member countries the biological reference products and any other reagent used for the diagnosis and control of foot-and-mouth disease;
- develop, standardize and validate, according to OIE standards, new methods for diagnosing and controlling the disease;
- provide diagnostic services and, if necessary, provide scientific and technical advice on control measures to OIE Member Countries;
- collect, process, analyze, publish and disseminate relevant epidemiological data on foot-and-mouth disease;
- establish and manage a network with the other OIE reference laboratories designated for foot-and-mouth disease, and organize regular inter-laboratory trials to ensure the comparability of results.
The work of the Maisons-Alfort animal health laboratory on foot-and-mouth disease
The Maisons-Alfort animal health laboratory is characterized by a strong reference and research activity, in association with other organisations. Its work focuses on the control of major epizootics (foot-and-mouth disease, bluetongue, etc.), bacterial, viral and parasitic zoonoses and emerging multi-species animal infectious diseases, and lead it to carry out a strong scientific and technical support activity.
With regard to foot-and-mouth disease, the laboratory ensures its diagnosis and in particular the emergency diagnosis in the event of suspicion. It also carries out research, expertise and scientific and epidemiological monitoring, in collaboration with numerous international teams with the aim of preventing risks and always better coping with possible health crises.