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Optimised dispersion protocol for particle size measurement of copper oxides applied as feed additives and plant protection products
No full textThe human population can be exposed to copper oxides used as plant protection products and feed additives. They are commercially distributed as powders, and limited information on their particle size distribution is available. The EFSA Guidance on Particle-Technical Requirements requires measuring the particle size distribution to assess whether a nano-specific risk assessment should be performed. To measure the particle size distribution using electron microscopy (EM), a dispersion protocol that aims at maximal de-agglomeration followed by on-grid sampling is evaluated.</p
Identifying essential COVID-19 indicators for primary healthcare through Delphi analysis in 31 European countries: Eurodata eDelphi study
No full textBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the essential role of primary healthcare (PHC) in epidemiological surveillance and public health decision-making. Across Europe, the integration of electronic health records (EHRs) and the sentinel networks have been pivotal in monitoring COVID-19. However, the lack of standardized PHC indicators for COVID-19 hinders the comparability of data among countries.
Objective: To establish a consensus on a set of standardized PHC activity indicators related to the COVID-19 pandemic for 31 countries, enhancing the capability of health authorities to make informed decisions and prepare for future health crises.
Methods: A two-round eDelphi study was conducted using a structured web-based survey, following the CREDES guidelines, to achieve consensus among a panel of 164 experts from the Eurodata study. 86 Indicators were selected based on their availability during the current pandemic, with participants rating the relevance and utility of proposed indicators.
Results: Of the 22 initial indicators, seven received consensuses for inclusion, while two remained contentious after the second round. The study found significant discrepancies in the awareness of sentinel networks and accessibility to PHC data. The consensus emphasized the necessity for indicators to be standardized, reproducible, and easily extractable from databases, with recommendations for disaggregation by age, sex, and vaccination status.
Conclusion: Key COVID-19 indicators for PHC were identified, reflecting a consensus among healthcare professionals. Further cooperation between PHC providers and national public health authorities is warranted both on the national and the international level to harmonized healthcare indicators in response to future health emergencies.</p
Rapport épidémiologique annuel : poliomyélite et entérovirus non poliomyélitiques - 2024
No full text
Depuis 1999, aucun cas de poliomyélite n’a été signalé en Belgique.
La Belgique est actuellement classée par l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) comme un pays à faible risque de transmission de la poliomyélite.
Le taux de vaccination est élevé (97,6 % pour 3 doses), mais des populations vulnérables existent et sont toujours à risque.
En 2024, cinq cas de paralysie flasque aiguë (PFA) ont été signalés. Pour une surveillance suffisamment sensible, 19 cas auraient dû être signalés.
Dans aucun des cas d’AFP signalés, la polio n’a été correctement exclue. Selon les directives internationales, deux échantillons de selles doivent être analysés. Les échantillons doivent être prélevés dans les 14 jours suivant l’apparition des symptômes et à un intervalle d’au moins 24 heures.
La mise en place d’une surveillance des eaux usées a amélioré la surveillance globale.
La présence de poliovirus circulant originalement dérivé d’une souche vaccinale de type 2 et ayant accumulé des mutations (cVDPV2) dans les eaux usées des pays voisins souligne la nécessité d’une surveillance rigoureuse.
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Targeted Whole Genome Sequencing of the Capripoxvirus Genome from Clinical Tissue Samples and Lyophilized Vaccine Batches.
No full textDiseases caused by Capripoxviruses (CaPVs) are of great economic importance in sheep, goats, and cattle. Since CaPV strains are serologically indistinguishable and genetically highly homologous, typing of closely related strains can only be achieved by whole-genome sequencing. In this chapter, we describe a robust, cost-effective, and widely applicable protocol for reconstructing (nearly) complete CaPV genomes directly from clinical samples or commercial vaccine batches in less than a week. Taking advantage of the genetic similarity of CaPVs, a set of pan-CaPVs long-range PCRs was developed that covers the entire genome with only a limited number of tiled amplicons. The resulting amplicons can be sequenced on all currently available high-throughput sequencing platforms. As an example, we have included a detailed protocol for performing nanopore sequencing and a pipeline for assembling the resulting tiled amplicon data.</p
Pilot market surveillance of GMM contaminations in alpha-amylase food enzyme products: A detection strategy strengthened by a newly developed qPCR method targeting a GM Bacillus licheniformis producing alpha-amylase
No full textInclusion of Long Covid patients in the care trajectory post-Covid-19: evidence from Belgium
No full textStrategy to develop and validate digital droplet PCR methods for global antimicrobial resistance wastewater surveillance
No full textMulticenter comparison of Etest, Vitek2 and BD Phoenix to broth microdilution for beta-lactam susceptibility testing of Streptococcus pneumonia.
No full textPURPOSE: To assess performance of Etest®, Vitek®2 and BD Phoenix™ to determine the susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains to penicillin, ampicillin and cefotaxime.
METHODS: Sixty unique S. pneumoniae challenge strains were selected to cover a wide range of penicillin, ampicillin and cefotaxime minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Strains were analyzed in four different Belgian laboratories. Etest® benzylpenicillin (BEN), ampicillin/amoxicillin (AMP) and cefotaxime (CTA) (bioMérieux), Vitek®2 AST-ST03 (bioMérieux) and BD Phoenix™ SMIC/ID-11 testing were each performed in two different labs. Results were compared to Sensititre® broth microdilution (BMD) (Thermo Fisher Scientific) results. MIC results were interpreted using EUCAST non-meningitis breakpoints (v 13.0).
RESULTS: Essential agreement (EA) was ≥ 90% for all methods compared to BMD, except for Etest® BEN on Oxoid plate (58.3%), Etest® AMP (both on Oxoid (65.8%) and BD BBL plate (84.2%)). Categorical agreement (CA) for penicillin was only ≥ 90% for Vitek®2, for other methods CA ranged between 74 and 84%. CA for AMP was for all methods < 90% (range 75.8-88.3%) and CA for CTA was between 87 and 90% for all methods except for Etest on Oxoid plate (79.2%).
CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that Vitek®2 and BD Phoenix™ are reliable for providing accurate pneumococcal susceptibility results for BEN, AMP and CTA. Using Etest BEN or AMP on Oxoid plate carries a risk of underestimating the MIC and should be interpreted with caution, especially when the obtained MIC is 1 or 2 doubling dilutions below the S or R clinical breakpoint.</p