About the BEVA Laboratory registration Scheme
The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Laboratory Registration Scheme is for the testing of CEMO, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Since 1977 the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) has produced a regularly updated code of practice for the control of three pathogens that have been associated with true equine venereal disease:
- Taylorella equigenitalis (the contagious equine metritis organism, CEMO)
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
The code of practice forms the basis of prevention and control of disease caused by these pathogens throughout the horse breeding industries of France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom. The application of the code of practice has been successful in controlling these diseases in these countries. The Code of Practice can be viewed at codes.hblb.org.uk.
The success of the code of practice requires accurate and efficient laboratory screening and reporting services. For this reason, the HBLB developed a scheme to register laboratories for the purpose of testing for these pathogens. This scheme is now managed by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA).
Registered laboratories must meet performance standards in testing Quality Assurance (QA) samples.
On BEVA’s behalf, VETQAS®, the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA’s) independent, accredited, proficiency testing (PT) service, distributes biannual QA samples to Registered Laboratories. A new list of Registered Laboratories is provided following each set of testing.
For a list of approved laboratories for official analysis of equine infectious anemia, equine viral arteritis, contagious equine metritis, dourine, glanders and West Nile encephalitis from the French Agriculture and Food Ministry's website see here.
A list of private laboratories currently approved for CEM testing by DAFM under the ITBA code of practice can be seen here.
The Irish CEM Laboratory Approval Scheme was established to help equine practices & laboratories performing pre-breeding cultures to be able to test for, detect and recognise the fastidious CEM organism (CEMO),Taylorella equigenitalis (T. equigenitalis). In Ireland only contagious equine metritis caused by infection with T. equigenitalis is a notifiable disease, requiring reporting to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the scheme is for CEMO culture only. The scheme does not include Klebsiella pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa or PCR detection of CEMO*
Once a year*, in September, laboratories seeking approval in the scheme are expected to pass a proficiency test (PT) that is prepared by the CEM National Reference Laboratory (NRL). The PT does include some CEMO like organisms, such as T. asinigenitalis* and other competing organisms. For approval on the scheme, laboratories are expected to identify any T. equigenitalis present, and failure to do so will result in their exclusion from the scheme. A failure triggers a laboratory visit to understand why they failed, and should they wish to rejoin the scheme they must complete further approved as external PTs, such the VETQAS PT that is required by BEVA approved laboratories in the UK. Each new member of laboratory staff involved in CEM testing is expected to receive some training and are required to pass an individual PT before they can perform CEM culture in their respective laboratories. Training records are expected to be kept on file by the laboratory and the CEM NRL offerning to new staff, with frequent requests for training sessions.
The scheme includes laboratory inspections, with attendance by a veterinary surgeon and a senior analyst from the NRL, at least once every three years, although visits can be scheduled more frequently. Once PT results are processed and laboratory visits are completed, the NRL will recommend the approval of CEMO testing laboratories to the Department as the competent authority.
In January each year, participating laboratories are requested to submit their CEMO testing figures for the previous year* to the Department, comprising grand totals and totals by male/female.
*These elements of the Irish CEM Laboratory Approval Scheme are different to the VETQAS-operated scheme employed in the UK with oversight by BEVA
HBLB Codes of Practice