OIE/FAO-APHCA/DLD Regional Workshop on BSE Diagnosis and Surveillance
(Bangkok, Thailand, 6-8 October 2003)
The purpose of the Regional Hands-on Workshop on BSE Diagnosis and Surveillance was to train laboratory (technical) staff from selected countries in Asia and the Pacific (based on the technical evidence of the countries having imported Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) from the United Kingdom) for laboratory diagnostic technologies: (i) ELISA technique and (ii) Immunohistochemistry (IHC). The Workshop was jointly organised by OIE, FAO-APHCA (FAO's Animal Production and Health Commission for Asia and the Pacific) and DLD (Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand).
The opening ceremony was held at the Conference Room of the National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH) with about 50 participants from Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Korea (Republic of ) , Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taipei China, Thailand, Vietnam, and observers from the host country (Thailand), speakers from Switzerland, and the organisers of OIE, FAO-APHCA and DLD. Welcome addresses were delivered by Dr Nimit Triwanatham, Director of NIAH, Dr Teruhide Fujita, OIE Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, Dr Hans Wagner, Secretary of FAO-APHCA and Dr Chaweewan Leowijak, Deputy Director General, DLD.
Lectures were given by Dr Catherine Botteron and Dr Torsten Seuberlich (both from the University of Berne, Switzerland). Dr Botteron explained to the participants the overview of TSEs and BSE including etiology, pathogenesis, characteristic features, prion theory, species barrier, transmission, diagnosis, etc. Dr Seuberlich lectured on BSE-Diagnostic Rapid Tests, including the overview on different diagnostic reagents available and their principles (Prionics-Check Western, Bio-rad TeSeE (Platelia), Enfer TSE2.0, Prionics-Check LIA (Luminescence Immuno Assay), Tests in pipeline (InPro CDI-5, PerkinElmer Life Science, Prionics Strip-test) and so on.
Drs Botteron and Seuberlich explained in detail practical brain sampling, the rapid tests of ELISA and IHC by using lots of slides for scientific theories and practices, in order that the participants can get general views of BSE diagnosis and surveillance before practice in the laboratory.
Every participant joined the practice of brain sample collection using cattle heads prepared by NIAH for BSE tests.
The participants joined the laboratory work for BSE diagnosis including the steps of digestion of samples, staining of slides (positive and negative) and differential diagnosis of brain samples which included various different animal diseases in addition to BSE, under the instruction of Drs Botteron and Seuberlich.
All participants experienced some laboratory work on the ELISA and IHC tests on brain sample slides prepared beforehand with negative and positive ones, under the guidance of the two speakers. There were evaluation sessions after each laboratory practices.