Contaminant detection: a new score to assess the performance of testing laboratories
Scientists at ANSES have created a new score for statistically assessing the detection capabilities of testing laboratories. This score can be used when it is necessary to verify the ability of laboratories to detect a contaminant such as a pathogen or chemical in a sample.
The French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products celebrates its 30th anniversary
The French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products (ANMV) was created in 1994. Part of ANSES, it monitors the efficacy of the veterinary medicinal products used in France and ensures they are environmentally friendly and safe for animal and human health. The ANMV’s missions and importance on the French and European scenes have changed significantly over the past 30 years. Below, Franck Fourès, Director of the ANMV, looks back at its history and discusses the major challenges that lie ahead.
If your child swallows a button battery, every minute counts!
Every year, more than a thousand children accidentally swallow button batteries. This can have serious, sometimes fatal, consequences, especially if it goes unnoticed. Why is this dangerous? And most importantly, what should you do if your child swallows a button battery?
A study carried out in eight European countries confirms that pathogens can be transmitted from one species of pollinating insect to another. The health of wild pollinators can therefore be affected when a contaminated colony of honeybees is established nearby. Unlike in previous studies, the results did not show any significant effect of the type of crop grown in bee foraging areas.
Discovery of triple resistance to antiparasitic drugs in equines
For the first time in France, a single farm has been found infested with digestive parasites known as cyathostomins, or small strongyles, resistant to all three classes of antiparasitic drugs authorised for equines. They were discovered as part of a study carried out by an ANSES team on a racehorse stud farm.
From breakfast to dinner: how is food intake distributed throughout the day?
Following on from its work on the dietary guidelines of the French National Health and Nutrition Programme (PNNS), ANSES decided to take a closer look at the health effects of how food intake is distributed throughout the day. At the same time, it also looked at the risks associated with children not eating breakfast.
Towards the integrated surveillance of antimicrobial resistance
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a major health problem for both humans and animals. In France, the use of antibiotics and the distribution of resistant bacteria are covered by several surveillance schemes that do not consistently or sufficiently collaborate with one another. The Surv1Health project, which has just been completed, aimed to identify ways of breaking down silos in the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and making it more useful as part of the ‘One Health’ approach.
Good practices to adopt for the use of antiparasitic drugs in equines
When deworming horses and donkeys, there are several good practices that can help prevent digestive parasites from becoming resistant to antiparasitic drugs and endangering equine health.
ANSES and Institut Pasteur: a partnership at the service of One Health
Institut Pasteur and ANSES have just signed a partnership agreement to pool their skills in the interests of ‘One Health’. The two organisations carry out complementary activities: one studies human infectious diseases and the other the risks associated with animal diseases and food, including diseases transmitted from animals to humans and by vectors.