National Reference Laboratories

Pursuant to Article 4 of the German Animal Diseases Act, the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut acts as national reference laboratory (NRL) for more than 50 notifiable animal diseases. The reference laboratories have been accredited by the AKS Hannover according to ISO/IEC 17025. They clarify suspected cases, provide advice to the veterinary authorities and conduct ring trials or carry out similar quality assurance measures for animal disease diagnostics in Germany. Within the frame of this activity, the FLI publishes a collection of official sampling and investigation procedures for notifiable animal diseases and the Annual Animal Health Report.

On the international level, the FLI houses reference laboratories of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) for Avian Influenza, Enzootic Bovine Leukosis, Newcastle Disease, Bovine Herpesvirus-1 Infection, Brucellosis, Chlamydiosis, Glanders, and Rabies. Furthermore, a “Collaborating Centre for Rabies” of the World Health Organization (WHO) is located at the FLI. The NRLs fulfil the tasks associated with their designation and support the veterinary laboratories of the federal states. For the legal basis of the individual reference laboratories please refer to the web page of the respective laboratory.

Since 2006, the FLI is "Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe" of the OIE.