The contribution of proficiency testing to standardisation, implementation and quality assurance of virus testing in shellfish

Cefas, as the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for monitoring bacteriological and viral contamination of bivalve molluscs, supports the work of National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) throughout EU Member States and... [ view full abstract ]

Cefas, as the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for monitoring bacteriological and viral contamination of bivalve molluscs, supports the work of National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) throughout EU Member States and EFTA countries to maintain a high quality of analysis. The EURL provides regular proficiency testing (PT) schemes for NRLs, which are also available to labs outside the network. Since 2002 a particular focus of the network has been the development of standardised methods for enteric viruses (norovirus and Hepatitis A virus) in molluscs. PT has been instrumental in this work through provision of objective evidence on analytical performance. PT distributions include a series of blind shellfish matrix and/or non-matrix samples, with contamination set at challenging levels mimicking those found in environmental samples.  PT reports include qualitative and quantitative assessment of laboratory performance and troubleshooting guidance. This presentation summarises virus PT results over the last 15 years, detailing improvements in laboratory performance linked to increasing method harmonisation through development and implementation of ISO 15216 (horizontal method for determination of hepatitis A virus and norovirus in food using real-time RT-PCR).  Proposed future developments will also be discussed.