Department of respiratory, intestinal and exanthematous viral infections
The Department has four national reference laboratories (NRLs) accredited by CIA and three of them also by WHO:
- NRL for Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses
- NRL for Mumps, Measles, Rubella, and Parvovirus B19
- NRL for Herpes Viruses
- NRL for Enteroviruses
Head: Radomíra Limberková, M.D.
The group has been involved in reference activities including diagnostic, confirmatory and specialized testing (WGS, genotyping).
All NRLs are involved in the external quality assessment schemes (EQAS) for testing proficiency of field laboratories (World Health Organization, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Robert Koch Institute and commercial organizations). The proficiency testing covers the serology, molecular biological diagnosis and molecular analysis.
All NRLs organize National EQA (serology, molecular biological diagnosis).
All NRLs participate in the European WHO and ECDC surveillance networks (TESSy).
All NRLs provide education and consulting on infections according to their specialisation:
- Respiratory viruses (A/B influenza virus including epidemiologically important subtypes (human as well as animal), respiratory syncitial virus (A/B), human metapneumovirus, coronaviruses, SARS, MERS, SARS-CoV-2, adenoviruses, parainfluenzaviruses, rhinoviruses, bocaviruses, enteroviruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mpox and other emerging pathogens);
- Viruses causing exanthematous diseases(morbillivirus, rubella virus, parvovirus B19, and mumps virus).
- Herpesviruses (varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, HHV6, and HHV8);
- Enteroviruses(polioviruses and other enteroviruses).
For more detailed information see pages of the individual NRLs.