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The laboratories’ research activities

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Reference activities

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Our reference mandates

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ANSES’s services

To carry out its research and reference missions, ANSES relies on a network of nine laboratories on 16 sites across the country, in close contact with France’s agricultural and food production centres.

These laboratories undertake work in three major areas, covering animal health and welfare, chemical and microbiological food safety, and plant health. They have achieved international recognition in their various fields of expertise, including epidemiology, microbiology, antimicrobial resistance and physico-chemical contaminants and toxins.

The laboratories play a vital role in qualifying health hazards through their expert appraisals, epidemiological surveillance, alerts and technical and scientific support, and by coordinating networks of laboratories conducting field analyses, through which they collect data. In particular, the 600 scientists and technicians from ANSES laboratories are engaged in research to identify major pathogens in animal health and plant health and to develop approaches for identifying biological, physical and chemical contaminants in food and water.

These reference and research activities position ANSES at the heart of institutional networks focused on animal health and welfare, plant health and food safety. The Agency entertains direct links with the field, which are essential for carrying out surveillance and issuing alerts, enabling it to respond more rapidly during the resurgence or emergence of new pathogens and contaminants in France.

>> See ANSES’s scientific priorities for 2019–2022 to guide its research and reference activities (PDF, in French)

Laboratory news

Genetic analyses shed light on the origin of the small hive beetle recently reported on Reunion Island
petit coléoptère des ruches
06/09/2024

Genetic analyses shed light on the origin of the small hive beetle recently reported on Reunion Island

The small hive beetle is a parasite of honey bees. It was first detected on Reunion Island in July 2022. Genetic analyses conducted by ANSES's Sophia Antipolis Laboratory have revealed that the specimens that arrived on the island are similar to those found in China and the Philippines.
"One Health" collaboration on a bacterium with multiple resistance to antibiotics in horses
Collaboration « One Health » sur une bactérie multirésistante aux antibiotiques chez les chevaux
25/07/2024

"One Health" collaboration on a bacterium with multiple resistance to antibiotics in horses

Scientists from ANSES, the Dynamicure joint research unit (Inserm/Universities of Caen and Rouen) and Caen University Hospital recently joined forces to study Klebsiella pneumoniae , a bacterium that is pathogenic to humans and horses. By analysing strains of K. pneumoniae collected from horses over a period of almost 30 years, they found a wide diversity of strains, some with increased antibiotic resistance
A method for tracking the spread of a new Campylobacter species
campylobacter
26/06/2024

A method for tracking the spread of a new Campylobacter species

ANSES has developed a method for culturing Campylobacter hepaticus. Cases of poultry becoming infected with this bacterium have increased in France since 2019. Culturing it should provide an opportunity to track its spread on farms through genetic characterisation.
Contaminant detection: a new score to assess the performance of testing laboratories
18/06/2024

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.
Transmission of pathogens between pollinators
Une abeille
03/06/2024

Transmission of pathogens between pollinators

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.