November 27, 2015

Charcot Amphitheater - Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris Institute for Public Health Surveillance and the Committee of National Reference Centers

The French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), through its Department of Infectious Diseases (DMI), organized the 7th seminar of the National Reference Centers (CNR) on November 27, 2015. This was the second seminar under the current CNR network’s mandate, which covers the period 2011–2016, and it brought together more than 130 people: CNR directors and staff, members of the CNR Committee, InVS epidemiologists, and representatives from other health agencies and the Ministries of Health and Agriculture.

The CNR network currently comprises 82 laboratories (47 CNRs and 35 associated laboratories), which are funded by the InVS to the tune of €8.3 million per year (representing over 80% of the department’s budget).

These laboratories communicate daily with InVS epidemiologists and provide them with the microbiological expertise necessary to carry out their health surveillance missions in the field of infectious diseases. More specifically, the missions of the CNRs are as follows: microbiological expertise (diagnosis, pathogenicity, susceptibility to anti-infectives), contribution to epidemiological surveillance, contribution to alert systems (InVS, Ministry of Health), and providing advice to healthcare professionals, the InVS, other agencies, and the Ministry of Health.

The CNRs are appointed every five years following a call for applications based on a set of specifications that defines the pathogens requiring a CNR and the missions of each proposed CNR. Following this call for applications, the InVS, assisted by its CNR committee, submits to the Minister of Health the list of teams selected to carry out these missions.

The next call for applications will cover the 2017–2021 period and is currently being finalized. It will be published in the first quarter of 2016, leading to the appointment of a new network by the end of the year.

Program (pdf)

Oral presentations

Introduction by François Bourdillon, Director General of the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS)

Review of the National Reference Centers (CNR) Committee’s activities from 2013 to 2015 Jean-Claude Piffaretti – Chair of the National Reference Centers (CNR) Committee Download the document (pdf)

NRC: 2016 Call for Applications (Progress Report)Bruno Coignard – InVS, Jean-Claude Piffaretti – NRC Committee

Genomic sequencing of bacterial pathogens: genetic structure of species and epidemiological surveillance Sylvain Brisse – Institut Pasteur, Paris Download the document (PDF)

Whole genome sequencing as a tool for clinical diagnostics Henrik Hasman – Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, DenmarkDownload the document (pdf)

Ebola: Analysis of the response in France and Africa, role of the CNR for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Thierry Debord – Directorate General for Healthcare Provision (DGOS), Sylvain Baize – CNR for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF) Download the document (pdf)Download the document (pdf)

Roundtable – Role of the CNRs in the response to emergencies: what role for the outsourcing of diagnostics? Sylvain Baize – CNR FHV, Laurent Dortet – CNR RATB, Isabelle Leparc-Goffart – CNR Arbovirus, Bruno Lina – CNR Virus influenzae Moderator: Sylvie Quelet – InVS, Christophe Burucoa – Poitiers University Hospital (CHU)

European laboratory networks: the ultimate complement to national capacities for disease surveillance and alert? European laboratory networks: the ultimate complement to national capacities for disease surveillance and alert? Marc Struelens – European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, SwedenDownload the document (pdf)

Nagoya strain collection and protocol Antoine Schwoerer – DG Download the document (pdf)

Synergies between CNRs and National Reference Laboratories (NRLs): the example of Campylobacter Francis Megraud – CNR Campylobacter, Martine Denis – NRL Campylobacter Download the document (pdf)Download the document (pdf)

Q&A with the CNRs (open discussion) Members of the CNR Committee Moderator: Jean-Claude Piffaretti – CNR Committee

Closing of the seminarBruno Coignard – InVS, Jean-Claude Piffaretti – CNR Committee