Two new reference mandates for ANSES's laboratories
Two new national reference mandates were entrusted to ANSES by ministerial order on 15 July 2025. Reference laboratories play a vital part in preventing health threats, in particular by ensuring that detection methods are reliable.
A mandate for a viral disease in pigs
The Swine Virology, Innovation and Genomics (VIRPIG) unit at the Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory has been appointed National Reference Laboratory for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). This viral disease only affects pigs. It causes reproductive failure in pregnant sows, as well as respiratory problems and stunted growth in piglets. The virus also affects the immune system, making carrier animals vulnerable to other bacterial and viral infections.
PRRS is one of the diseases with the greatest impact on pig farms, due to the economic losses it causes and the extensive use of antibiotics it leads to because of its frequent association with bacterial superinfections. Control of this disease is mainly based on biosecurity measures aimed at preventing the introduction of the virus onto disease-free farms, as well as vaccination of animals on infected farms.
The Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory has been carrying out research into PRRS for many years, in particular on the immune response of pigs to infection, the optimisation of vaccine safety and efficacy, the evolution of virus strains and the assessment of diagnostic tools. As the NRL, it will initially be tasked with supporting the Directorate General for Food (DGAL) in setting up official PRRS analyses for pig artificial insemination centres.
Another mandate for a snail that poses a risk to aquatic plants
The Plant Health Laboratory's Entomology and Botany unit has been appointed National Reference Laboratory for Pomocea, a large freshwater snail from South America that is very popular with aquarium enthusiasts. This invasive species was discovered for the first time in the natural environment in France in 2018, in the Var département. Eradication measures have since been able to prevent it from becoming established on a long-term basis.
If Pomacea were to become established permanently in France, it could have a major impact on rice crops, as well as on the vegetation in shallow wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide, particularly the nutrient cycle, photosynthesis and the growth of aquatic plants. The NRL will carry out official Pomacea identifications as part of national surveillance, led by the Regional Directorates for Agriculture and Forestry, as well as during checks of plant imports.
What does the reference activity involve?
For some regulated or emerging pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi), pests (insects, mites, gastropods, nematodes) and chemical contaminants of major importance, the health authorities need an effective surveillance and analysis system based on a network of reliable approved laboratories. The National Reference Laboratory guarantees the reliability of the analyses carried out. It develops the analytical methods, transfers them to the approved laboratories and ensures that the quality of the results is homogeneous throughout the country. ANSES now holds 67 national reference mandates.