Reference laboratory
In the narrower sense, reference laboratories are those in the field of pathogen diagnostics that have been appointed by the European Commission (" Community Reference Laboratories ") or by a national government (" National Reference Laboratories ") on the basis of Community or national legislation. These laboratories have a particularly high level of qualification in a specific field and, in addition to their technical competence, are characterized by a high degree of independence and can also operate across borders. The establishment of national reference laboratories was intended to create the basis for Europe-wide harmonized measures in the field of laboratory diagnostics.
Epidemiologically oriented laboratories, for example, collect data on the occurrence of zoonotic pathogens in animals, in the environment and in food, as well as on cases of disease in humans. They evaluate this data and report on current developments. Laboratories that focus more on individual cases analyze samples and develop and standardize test methods. They also lead u. a. Carry out comparative tests between different laboratories to ensure a uniform level of analysis quality. Reference laboratories are also used as senior reviewers and as arbitration bodies in disputed cases.
In a broader sense, laboratories are also referred to as reference laboratories if they take on tasks in the field of standardization and the provision of reference preparations for a specialist society, authority or a commercial laboratory network . These reference laboratories are also available outside of infectious diseases, e.g. B. in clinical chemistry or laboratory standardization.
National reference centers and consulting laboratories (Germany)
In Germany, National Reference Centers (NRZ) have been appointed since 1995 , which are responsible for important infectiological issues and pathogens. The appointment is made by the Federal Ministry of Health for a period of three years. Representatives of the Robert Koch Institute , the Infection Epidemiology Commission and medical societies are involved in the decision on the reference centers to be appointed . In addition to the reference centers, consultant laboratories are appointed for further pathogens or infectious issues .
National reference laboratories
The national reference laboratories in Germany in the field of food safety and food hygiene and the senior expert body for wine with comparable tasks are located at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment . National reference laboratories for notifiable animal diseases , for notifiable animal diseases and for other animal diseases that are neither subject to notification nor reporting are located at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut .
National Reference Laboratory (Switzerland)
In Switzerland , the national reference laboratory is located in the Institute for Virology and Immunology (IVI) in Mittelhausen .
Community reference laboratories
At the level of the European Union there are so-called Community Reference Laboratories for some tasks, for example the “Community Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza ” ( Veterinary Laboratories Agency ) in Weybridge ( United Kingdom ).