Address of laboratory:
Tel.:
Fax: e-mail address: website:
Pirbright Laboratory
Institute for Animal health
Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 0NF
UNITED KINGDOM
( +44-1483) 23.12.11
(+44-1483) 23.26.21 jef.hammond@bbsrc.ac.uk http//www.iah.ac.uk
Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010
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Swine vesicular disease
1. Test(s) in use/or available for the specified disease/topic at your laboratory
Agent identification is carried out using: a) Virus isolation in an IB-RS-2 cell line; b) Antigen detection ELISA; c)
5' nuclease probe-based real time RT-PCR. Agent characterisation is by sequencing of the VP1 gene. Serology for diagnosis and certification is by means of ELISA and virus neutralisation test.
Approximate numbers of tests carried out in 2010 (including validation studies and external requests):
Test
ELISA
ELISA
VN
IB-RS-2 cell culture
RT-PCR
For
Antibody
Antigen
Antibody
Virus isolation
Virus genome
Specificity
SVD all strains
SVD all strains
SVD all strains
SVD all strains
SVD all strains
Total
667
39
279
39 none
2. Production and distribution of diagnostic reagents
Reagents produced and supplied include diagnostic standards and controls for serology and virus detection, monoclonal antibody 5B7 (from Instituto Zooprofilattico, Brescia) for serological competition ELISA and SVD viruses. Reference sera, inactivated antigens and/or monoclonal antibodies for serology have been produced and sent to Croatia, Greece, Denmark, Taiwan, Spain, Romania, Russia and Austria. Rabbit and guinea pig sera for
SVD antigen detection were provided for use nationally (20ml) or by other OIE Member States (50ml) and sent to Italy. FMDV/SVDV antigen ELISA kits sent to Bulgaria and Taiwan
3. International harmonisation and standardisation of methods for diagnostic testing or the production and testing of vaccines
Combined FMD/SVD Proficiency Testing 2010
Seventy seven labs from seventy five countries were invited to take part in this study supported by the EC and the
EUFMD. Of the 60 labs that agreed to participate, 27 labs were from EU member countries; 33 labs from Non-EU countries. Participants were sent a package containing uniquely coded and labelled samples as described below.
The aim of the exercise was to complete a proficiency testing study for virology and serology diagnosis for FMD and SVD during 2010. Particular tests were not specified, but labs were invited to select tests and interpret results based upon: a.
Virus detection – as if samples were from suspect outbreaks. b.
Serology - as if serum samples were from FMD /SVD endemic countries with vaccination (for FMD samples) or non-vaccination (for SVD samples) history for importation screening.
Participants were asked to give results for individual tests on each sample and where multiple tests were used, an overall result for each sample. Overall interpretation for each suspect case under investigation for panel 1 was also requested. Participants were also asked to provide information on national surveillance for FMD and/or SVD. This was to enable a clear picture of the scale of activities, the state of QA accreditation and the tests actually being used by participants during 2009/2010 to be compiled.
Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010

Swine vesicular disease
Results of this study will be presented at the joint meeting of FMD/SVD national reference laboratories in
Brussels, Belgium in February/March 2011 and a feedback letter including the overall results from all participants for each panel including comments and recommendations on each test will be prepared and sent to each laboratory.
Details of Panels
Panel 1: infectious material from 2 cases of suspected vesicular disease for virus detection
Case 1a: 2 epithelial and 1 faecal suspension samples from pigs in a herd affected with a vesicular condition.
Case 1b: 2 epithelial and 1 faecal suspension samples from pigs in a herd affected with a vesicular condition.
Panel 2: non-infectious material 1 from cattle or pigs for virus genome/antigen detection by RT-PCR and/or
Ag-ELISA
7 samples from cattle or pigs, with each originating from a different case of a herd with a vesicular condition.
Panel 3: non-infectious material 2 for FMD serology
6 bovine sera from FMD endemic country Pakistan for importation screening. The cattle were vaccinated against both FMDV vaccines A
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Iraq and Asia1 Shamir.
Panel 4: non-infectious material 2 for SVD serology
6 sera from pigs for importation screening.
1 Samples were inactivated using Binary ethyleneimine and inocuity tested by two passages in primary bovine thyroid cells (for FMDV) or RS cells (for SVDV) with negative results. 2 Sera were inocuity tested by two passages in primary bovine thyroid cells (for FMDV) or RS cells (for
SVDV) with negative results and then inactivated using Binary ethyleneimine to kill any live virus not detected by inocuity testing.
4. Preparation and supply of international reference standards for diagnostic tests or vaccines
The laboratory acts as European Community Reference Laboratory for SVD. In this capacity, European reference standards for serology and for virus detection by ELISA, cell culture isolation and RT-PCR are maintained and supplied to Member States of the European Union.
The CRL provided reference plasmids and encapsidated controls for real-time RT-PCR to Istituto Zooprofilattico
Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
5. Research and development of new procedures for diagnosis and control
The laboratory is engaged in a wide range of research of this type including the development and validation of virological and serological diagnostic tests.
2010 saw continued discussions with Svanova following the development of the SVANODIP® Antigen based penside tests enabling early detection of FMD and SVD viruses. The tests were developed in co-operation with the
OIE Community Reference Laboratory for FMD, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright Laboratory, UK and
Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell´Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Italy, as part of the EU project Lab-On-Site, a project on new and emerging technologies for detection of important diseases in animals and animal products.
A minor-groove RT-PCR assays was developed for the detection of SVDV. Evaluation experiments showed that this assay has similar performance to real-time RT-PCR used by the CRL.
6. Collection, analysis and dissemination of epizootiological data relevant to international disease control
There were no isolates submitted this reporting year specifically for SVDV isolation or VP1 sequencing
7. Provision of consultant expertise to OIE or to OIE Members
Dr Jef Hammond attended OIE ad hoc groups when required.
Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010
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Swine vesicular disease
8. Provision of scientific and technical training to personnel from other OIE Members
A number of IAH Pirbright staff played key roles in the annual 2-week FMDV / SVDV diagnostics training course held at Pirbright laboratory for overseas scientists between 12th and 23 rd April 2010.
Diagnostic Course Attendees:
Natalia Lugovskaya
Chanasa Mpelumbe-Ngeleja
Claudia Beascoechea
Kamila Gorna
Andrzej Fitzne
Peter Hostnik
FGI
Central Veterinary Lab
OIE/FMD Ref Lab SENASA
AFSSA
Vet Research Institute in Pulawy
NRL for FMDV
Russia
Tanzania
Argentina
France
Poland
Slovenia
A number of IAH Pirbright staff also gave key lectures in the Defra Notifiable Diseases Course held at IAH
Pirbright on the 20 th and 21 st May. Notifiable Diseases Attendees: Approx 30 animal health officers attended.
9. Provision of diagnostic testing facilities to other OIE Members
All samples received for testing from suspect cases of vesicular disease in pigs are tested for both FMD and SVD.
Therefore, details of the tests carried out for Member States can be found in the report of the OIE FMD Reference
Laboratory at Pirbright
In total the IAH reference laboratory for FMD received 1218 samples from 26 countries in 2010; this is an approximate 25% increase on 2009 numbers. 760 were collected in 2010 and 458 were collected in previous years and sent in 2010. Details of the results obtained can be found at: http://www.wrlfmd.org/.
10. Organisation of international scientific meetings on behalf of OIE or other international bodies
Drs Hammond and Li organised and Dr Hammond chaired the annual meeting of the European FMD/SVD
National Reference Laboratories in Brussels, Belgium in January 2010.
11. Participation in international scientific collaborative studies
Nothing to report
12. Publication and dissemination of information relevant to the work of OIE (including list of scientific publications, internet publishing activities, presentations at international conferences)

A number of staff presented or were included as authors on presentations at International meetings during the reporting period. Details are shown below;
Dr Jef Hammond: Head World Reference Laboratory for FMD (WRLFMD), Head Vesicular Disease Reference
Laboratories, Head EU Community Reference Laboratories for FMD and SVD.

Participated in an OIE Ad Hoc group for SVD at OIE Headquarters, Paris 16 th -17 th February.

Organised and chaired along with Dr Yanmin Li (IAH, Pirbright) the combined annual meeting of EU
National Reference Laboratories for Swine Vesicular Disease and Foot-and-Mouth Disease, held in Brussels,
18 th -19 th January 2010.

Attended Second Global Conference of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres at OIE HQ
Paris.
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Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010

Swine vesicular disease

Attended and presented at the 11th annual meeting of the Inter-Agency Donor Group (IADG) for livestock research in development held at The Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Headquarters in Rome, Italy
–on 4 th -5 th May.
Dr Yanmin Li - Leader CRL FMD and CRL SVD

Li. Y., Wilsden G., Keel P., Hamblin P., Hutchings G., Madi M., Mioulet V., Reid S. M., Stoner J., Paton D.
J., King D. P., Ferris N. P. and Hammond J. FMD and SVD combined proficiency scheme studies 2009 and
2010: virology and overview. Open Session of the Research Group of the Standing Technical Committee of the European Commission for the control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Vienna, Austria, September 2010.
Mr Nick Knowles – Leader Sequencing team

Attended the Executive Committee (EC) Meeting (EC42) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of
Viruses (ICTV) held in Paris, France, from 27 th to 30 th June 2010.

Staff from WRLFMD attended the 1 st Meeting of the European Association for Veterinary Laboratory
Diagnosticians, Lelystad, The Netherlands, September 2010:

P UBLICATION OF DATA TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND THE INDUSTRY
Papers published in the reporting period from the Pirbright Laboratory (Pirbright authors underlined):

McMenamy M. J., McKillen J., Reid S. M., Hjertner B., King D. P., Adair B. and Allan G. Development of a minor-groove binder assay for real-time one-step RT-PCR detection of swine vesicular disease virus. Journal of Virological Methods doi:10.1016/j.jviromet.2010.11.001
In Press
1.
Shirley M. W., Charleston B. and King D. P. New opportunities to control livestock diseases in the postgenomics era. Journal of Agricultural Science.
13. Inscription of diagnostic kits on the OIE Register i) Did you participate in expert panels for the validation of candidate kits for inscription on the
OIE Register? If yes, for which kits?
Nothing to report ii) Did you submit to the OIE candidate kits for inscription on the OIE Register? If yes, for which kits?
Nothing to report
_______________
Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010
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