Integrated European Checklist for Laboratory Biorisk Management in Handling of High Consequence Risk Group 3 and 4 Agents (ECL-Biorisk)

Date of issue January 6, 2016 PDF (914 KB, File does not meet accessibility standards.)

QUANDHIP Project

The project “Quality Assurance Exercises and Networking on the Detection of Highly Infectious Pathogens” (QUANDHIP), funded by the European Commission as a Joint Action (JA) since 1st August 2011 (EAHC n° 2010 21 02), aims to link and consolidate the objectives of two existing European networks: The “European Network for Highly Pathogenic Bacteria“ (ENHPB) has been set up in the framework of the previous EU funded project “Establishment of Quality Assurances for Detection of Highly Pathogenic Bacteria of Potential Bioterrorism Risk” (EQADeBa), coordinated by the Robert Koch-Institut (RKI), Germany (EAHC n° 2007 204), and the “European Network of P4 Laboratories (ENP4Lab) which also came into being as an EU project, coordinated by L.Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases (INMI), Italy (EAHC n° 2006 208).

The primary aim of these combined two networks, dealing with high threat bacteria (Risk Group 3) on the one hand and with highly infectious viruses (Risk Group 4) on the other, is to create a stabilised permanent consortium that links up and unites 37 highly specialised and advanced laboratories from 22 European countries. This is meant to ensure a universal exchange of best diagnostic strategies to support a joint European response to outbreaks of highly pathogenic infectious agents, including the generation of a biodiverse repository of reference materials. The project will provide a supportive European infrastructure and strategy for external quality assurance exercises (EQAE), training, and biosafety/biosecurity quality management.