Laboratory Workshop at Dakar

This workshop was held for the Group 2 laboratories of the network of national diagnostic laboratories for West and Central Africa . It brought together two participants from the national veterinary laboratories of Benin Guinea, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad, i.e., a total of 10 participants. Its technical supervision was handled by Drs Raffaella Nisi and Fillipo Cilloni of the IZSVe witht he participation of Dr Yallacé Kaboret of the EISMV of Dakar, Mmes Fatou Tall and Mame Yacine of the LNERV. Drs Adama Diallo and Giovanni Cattolli also made some brilliant interventions there. On the other hand, Dr Benkhelil Abdelghani of Synbiotics Europe made presentations and demonstrations with the rapid diagnostic kit Fludetect and the ELISA kit (H5 and N1 ELISA). Dr Ruth Manvell (Manager of Avian Diagnostic Unit of Veterinary Laboratories Agency, UK) was present for two days to observe the unfolding of the meeting and to present the était the FLUTRAIN project, a project which wishes to participate in the capacity building for the African laboratories through training.

The presentations focused on:

• Autopsy techniques for poultry and securing and conservation of samples
• Protecting staff in the HPAI diagnostic laboratory
• the decision tree of the diagnostic laboratory for Avian Influenza and Newcastle’s disease
• the epidemiological surveillance of AI in birds
• Vaccination against AI and the DIVA technique
• the network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories
• the inter-laboratory tests or ring test.
  

The handling, carried out by individual participants, involved:

• the autopsy and samplings on birds
• preparation of chicken red cells
• classical serological diagnostic techiques of AI
  • immuno-diffusion test in agar-agar
  • ’hemagglutination test and test of inhibition of the hemagglutination
  • rapid detection tests of the IA virus antigen
  • Type A ELISA IA tests
  • ELISA NDV tests

A practical demonstration of the conventional PCR has also been done for the participants. The entire workshop process has been closely monitored by Dr Yaya Thiongane himself as well has his principal collaborators temporarily attached for making this training a success.

We extend to them our sincere thanks here.