New EU Reference Laboratory for Food- and Waterborne Bacteria Designated     

Bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria, Shigella, E. coli and Campylobacter, which are found in animals, food, and water, can lead to serious illnesses in humans. Outbreaks of these bacteria often affect large populations and cross national borders, placing significant strain on healthcare systems.

To address this, the EU has designated a new reference laboratory to ensure a unified European approach for pathogen detection and characterisation using standardised methods. The goal is to increase capacity and improve standardisation and comparability of data across EU by strengthening diagnostics, surveillance, antibiotic resistance monitoring, and outbreak investigations.

The laboratory will assist national laboratories in the EU member states with testing methods, improve the quality of analyses, and enhance the ability to identify outbreaks of infection.

A Strong Partnership Supporting National Laboratories

For this task, the European Commission has selected an experienced consortium. Denmark's Statens Serum Institut (SSI) will take on the central coordinating role, while the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands and Italy's National Institute of Health (ISS) will serve as key partners.

Additionally, the laboratory will work closely with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Commission to ensure an effective response to food- and waterborne diseases threats.

The new EU reference laboratory represents an important step in strengthening Europe's ability to tackle cross-border health challenges. By working together, EU countries will be better equipped to protect their populations from bacterial outbreaks and minimize the public health and economic impacts of future incidents.

Contact

Eva Møller Nielsen. Section Manager, Statens Serum Institut: +45 32683644 / emn@ssi.dk

Links to partners

• RIVM (https://www.rivm.nl/en)
• ISS (https://www.iss.it/web/iss-en)
• ECDC (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu)

References

EU commission implementing regulation

EU Reference Laboratories for public health - European Commission

Three more EU reference laboratories for public health designated