Surveillance Infection Diseases by National Reference Centres humane microbiology: Neisseria meningitidis

Since 2011, the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases Service of Sciensano, in charge of the surveillance of infectious diseases, coordinates a network of reference human microbiology laboratories, called National Reference Centres (NRCs). Each NRC, composed of one or more laboratories, is designated as such for a pathogen or group of pathogens according to well-defined criteria in a procedure that is repeated at an interval of up to 5 years. The Royal Decree of 9 February 2011 defines the legal and financial framework within which the NRCs operate and the tasks they must perform. NRC activities cover 41 pathogens or groups of pathogens identified as priorities due to needs in terms of diagnosis, quality of care and public health. The NRCs therefore provide support to healthcare providers and epidemiologists by transmitting microbiological and epidemiological data to Sciensano once a year. The role of NRCs is to contribute to the confirmation and/or diagnosis of certain pathogens (rare or difficult to identify) in samples sent by peripheral laboratories and to carry out the characterization of the referred strains (genotyping, antigen examination, antibiotic resistance study and other tests). Strain characterisation is important for detecting the emergence of new pathogens, observing the evolution of virulence and the distribution of circulating strains. This data thus helps to assess the effectiveness of health policies such as vaccination and the effectiveness of antibiotics. NRCs are also required to provide support to laboratories for laboratory techniques on the one hand and to authorities on the other hand in the management of health threats. This project concerns the NRC "Neisseria meningitidis".自2011年起，负责传染病监测工作的Sciensano传染病流行病学服务部门，牵头搭建了一套人类微生物学参考实验室网络，并将该网络命名为国家参考中心（National Reference Centres, NRCs）。每个国家参考中心由一个或多个实验室组成，会依据明确的评定标准，针对某一种或一类病原体获得认定资质，该认定流程每五年至多更新一次。2011年2月9日颁布的皇家法令明确了国家参考中心的运营法律与财务框架，以及其需履行的工作职责。国家参考中心的工作覆盖41种优先级病原体或病原体类别，这些病原体因诊断需求、医疗服务质量保障需求及公共卫生需求而被列为优先级对象。因此，国家参考中心每年向Sciensano报送微生物学与流行病学数据，以此为医疗服务提供者及流行病学家提供支持。 国家参考中心的核心职能包括：对基层实验室送检样本中的特定病原体（罕见或难以识别的病原体）进行确认和/或诊断，并对送检菌株开展分型鉴定工作，涵盖基因分型、抗原检测、抗生素耐药性研究及其他相关检测项目。菌株分型鉴定对于发现新型病原体、监测毒株毒力演变及流行毒株分布情况至关重要。此类数据可用于评估疫苗接种等卫生政策的实施效果，以及抗生素的临床应用有效性。 此外，国家参考中心还需为实验室提供实验技术支持，并协助主管部门开展健康威胁的应对管理工作。 本项目聚焦于脑膜炎奈瑟菌（Neisseria meningitidis）国家参考中心。