NRL FOR INFECTIOUS EQUINE DISEASES

We offer complex laboratory diagnoses of infectious equine diseases. In 2000, the lab was certified to conduct analyses required for importing horses from central and eastern European countries to France. Since 2009 the lab has cooperated with the EURL for equine diseases based in Maisons Alfort and is part of the network of European laboratories for diagnosis of infectious equine diseases. The lab has been participating, on a periodical basis, in international comparative tests organised by the EURL for equine diseases, Maisons Alfort, France).

Since 2003, the methods for diagnosing equine infections have been accredited under ISO/EN 17025. Classical serological and virological methods were expanded with molecular diagnostic methods being added into the range. The lab conducts, as a single lab in the Czech Republic, isolation of the arteritis virus on cell cultures and detection of the virus under the real-time RT-PCR method. This laboratory is also the sole provider of confirmatory examinations using virus-neutralising tests for antibodies against arteritis with a reference strain of Bucyrus. Furthermore, the institute is the only site in the Czech Republic providing diagnosis of vesicular stomatitis (serology / virus detection) in the BL3 laboratory. There is PCR in place at this site to demonstrate the equine herpesvirus (EHV1/4); serological diagnosis EHV1/4 is also available. Equine influenza is possible to demonstrate virus detection as well as serologically. The lab added the highly sensitive ELISA method into its services relating infectious equine anaemia diagnosis and introduced the diagnosis of the West Nile virus (determination of antibodies, virus detection). The lab also makes serological diagnosis of other so-called emerging diseases and exotic infections (anaplasmosis, borreliosis and piroplasmosis) possible. The NRL activity also includes a section of bacteriological diagnosis, particularly the detection of Taylorella equigenitalis.