vaches
25/04/2023

Laboratory for Animal Health (Maisons-Alfort and Dozulé sites)

Director: Stéphan Zientara
Deputy Director: Stéphan Zientara
Deputy Director for General Affairs: Catherine Lambert
Assistant Director: Sara Moutailler

Addresses:
Maisons-Alfort site: 14 rue Pierre et Marie Curie 94701 Maisons-Alfort Cedex
Normandy site: RD 675 – 14430 Goustranville

Email: contact.lsan@anses.fr

Team: 180 staff in six units and four contracted units

Research activities of the Laboratory for Animal Health
Activités Recherche

Research activities of the Laboratory for Animal Health

Reference activities of the Laboratory for Animal Health
Boîte de Petri

Reference activities of the Laboratory for Animal Health

Publications of the Laboratory for Animal Health
Publications

Publications of the Laboratory for Animal Health

The laboratory's missions

The laboratory conducts significant research, reference, expert appraisal and epidemiological surveillance activities. The research component of the laboratory's work is carried out in collaboration with other organisations and has been approved by the Ministry of Research for the joint research units (UMRs) and contracted units (USCs). A joint technology unit (UMT) has also been set up between ANSES and the French Horse and Riding Institute (IFCE). The laboratory belongs to the communities of universities and establishments of eastern Paris (COMUE) and of Normandy. It hosts and provides training for interns and students, both French and foreign of any nationality. It has been a member of the Paris Saclay Animal Sciences (SAPS) network since 2015.

The Laboratory for Animal Health focuses its research work on four main themes:

  • management of major animal epidemics such as foot-and-mouth disease, bluetongue, etc.;
  • bacterial, viral and parasitic zoonoses (animal diseases whose pathogens are transmissible to humans) such as bovine tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, etc.;
  • emerging multi-species infectious animal diseases, particularly vector-borne diseases and opportunistic fungal infections;
  • persistent and/or emerging infections of major importance in the equine sector.

The laboratory draws on its full range of skills to provide decision support to health authorities: it develops faster and more reliable tools for detecting and characterising pathogens in domestic and wild animals, as well as new typing methods. It also analyses host-pathogen relations in order to establish new animal disease prevention strategies, including vaccines.

The laboratory provides analytical services to health authorities and animal health professionals concerning samples of animal origin, for the animal diseases for which it holds national and international reference mandates. It holds 36 reference mandates, and performs more than 30,000 diagnostic tests each year.

It monitors the emergence of the animal epidemics within its remit in order to prevent their spread, analyse their causes and assess the related risks. In this regard, it is tasked with issuing alerts for "foot-and-mouth disease and similar vesicular diseases" and coordinates the Resumeq equine mortality surveillance network.

Sustainable development

The Laboratory for Animal Health is actively involved in the implementation of various sustainable development initiatives. Carried out in conjunction with ANSES's sustainable development unit, these include reductions in the consumption of disposable materials (plastic), in the carbon/greenhouse gas footprint, in air travel where possible, and in emails, as well as a collective approach to energy saving.


To know more about the Laboratory

>> See the leaflet (PDF)

Latest laboratory news

Fromage
Making cheese to study health risks

Several teams from ANSES are going to make cheese in a laboratory, in order to study the risk of pathogenic organisms being transmitted via cheese consumption. This will be a complex task, due to the precautions that will need to be taken to avoid any external contamination by the micro-organisms under study.

Read more of this news

 

Partnerships

The laboratory collaborates with a large number of European research institutes, with all EU countries represented. It also works with the other European national reference laboratories on all the animal diseases that it covers.

The main European and international partners include:

The laboratory's services

Delivery address for samples to be tested:

Normandy site (PhEED Unit)
Hours: 8.30am to 12 noon and 1.30pm to 5pm
RD675, La Fromagerie, 14430 Goustranville

Maisons-Alfort site
Hours: 8am to 4pm
14, Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94701 Maisons-Alfort cedex

Please note that the laboratory does not accept any deliveries on Saturday and Sunday.

The analysis request documents must be attached to the outside of the shipment, and must specify the type of analysis requested.

The services offered by the Laboratory for Animal Health and their implementation conditions are listed in the Laboratory for Animal Health's service catalogue (Excel). The service rates (PDF) are available online.