National Reference Laboratory for Rift Valley Fever.
The National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for Rift Valley Fever (RVF) has been established at SVU Prague with effect from 2. 10. 2023. RVF is an acute viral disease that affects not only domestic animals but also humans. The disease, caused by an arbovirus of the genus Phlebovirus, is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. However, recent outbreaks on the island of Mayotte (France) and some seropositive cases in Turkey, Tunisia and Libya have highlighted the potential for spread to neighbouring countries. Although the territory of the EU does not appear to be directly at risk of introduction of RVF, the evolution of the global RVF situation shows that surveillance of the disease still needs to be strengthened.
Diagnosis of the disease is based on clinical signs and laboratory tests. Two new diagnostic methods will be introduced at our institute to analyse suspect samples, RT-PCR to detect viral RNA and ELISA to detect antibodies. The laboratory will regularly participate in international comparative tests organised by the European Reference Laboratory (EURL) for RVF, based in Teramo, Italy.