Research laboratories

The laboratory’s work focuses on the control of major animal disease epidemics (foot and mouth disease, bluetongue, etc.), and emerging multi-species infectious animal diseases (such as the new Schmallenberg virus that appeared recently in Germany, the Netherlands, and then in the UK and France, and later expanded to the east and north of Europe), including vector-borne diseases and opportunistic fungal infections.

It coves all fields of infectious diseases in animal health into four main units:

• Bacterial zoonoses
• Epidemiology
• Virology (ANSES-INRA-ENVA joint research unit: see the dedicated sheet UMR 1161 )
• Parasitic and Fungal Molecular Biology and Immunology (Anses-Inra-Enva-UPEC joint research unit: see the dedicated sheet UMR 956)

ANSES’s Animal Health Laboratory is located at Maisons-Alfort on the campus of the French National Veterinary School of Alfort (ENVA), which it is part of. Founded in 1901, this was the first laboratory created in the world to fight against infectious and contagious animal diseases. The laboratory is still today internationally recognised, and it carries out critical missions for France and Europe in the field of animal health and public health. The laboratory performs considerable reference work (NRL, CRL, EURL, OIE, FAO, etc.) and a sustained level of research activity in partnership with other institutions (INRA, ENVA, universities). It has also been accredited by the French Ministry of Research (UMR, USC).