BVD ring trials

During the first quarter of 2011, the national reference laboratory for BVD/MD carried out the second ring trial on BVD diagnostics for the responsible veterinary diagnostic authorities of the federal states. A total of 53 public, private, university and industrial laboratories participated in this ring trial, among them also laboratories from Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, and France.

A total of 30 samples were sent to the laboratories for investigation with the laboratories’ routine diagnostic methods. Different sample panels were provided for virus detection (serum, plasma, milk, ear punch biopsies) and antibody detection (serum, plasma) representing the different stages of infection and sample characteristics, such as “PI animal”, “transiently infected animal”, “animal in diagnostic gap”, “pestivirus contaminated fetal calve serum”, etc..

In summary, the results show a high quality of BVD laboratory diagnostics, although there were approx. 2 % deviations from a total of more than 3600 individual tests. However, only a small percentage of the deviating results came from laboratories which have been working in routine diagnostics for some time within the frame of voluntary programmes and have the respective competence, experience and the methodical and logistic potential.

The ring trial mainly serves for self-monitoring of the laboratories and confirmation of the laboratory’s competence. The test results are anonymized, the laboratories are not evaluated or certified.