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REDLAB is a Technical Cooperation mechanism composed of governmental and private institutions, dedicated to the research and veterinary laboratorial diagnosis, for the exchange of experiences and knowledge between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, using its human, technical and financial resources in order to improve the research and veterinary diagnosis system in Latin America, as core backing axis of the functions of veterinary public health and animal health in FAO member countries of the Region.
CREATION
It was established in October 1983, during the Regional Meeting of Veterinary Diagnosis Directors, organized by FAO-RLAC in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay. The name and present regulations were adopted in 1987. As from its foundation it has managed to integrate near 300 Research and Veterinary Diagnosis Institutions.
OBJECTIVES
Its purpose is to enhance the technical, scientific and operative level of the research and veterinary diagnosis system of Latin America and the Caribbean. Establish training and updating systems in advanced technology, in addition to the establishment and availability of reference services between diagnosis and the research laboratories of the Region.
REFERENCE SERVICES
- Training
- Standardization and publication of research and veterinary diagnosis techniques
- Production and distribution of standard reagents for research and veterinary diagnosis
- Isolation, classification and typification of biological specimens
- Quality control on biological and pharmaceutical products of use in animal health programs
- Bibliographical information
- Investigation, adjustment, evaluation, standardization and training in new technologies and knowledge to solve the regional problems of animal health.
ORGANIZATION
The incorporation of the institutions to REDLAB is made by means of a written application sent through the FAO Representation of the country or the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, requesting to be admitted (E-mai: FAO/RLC@field.org).
Currently, the organic structure of REDLAB is made up of three programs: a) Bovine viral diseases. b) Ticks and hemoparasites. c) Swine viral diseases. These programs were defined upon the priorities expressed by member institutions of REDLAB.
REDLAB operates as follows: once the program has been determined, FAO designates a Group of Experts (GE) who in turn selects the institution that will initially act as Coordinating Laboratory of the Program (CLP), evaluating its academic and scientific level. The services and activities of the program are established in periodic meetings of the GE. The CLP and the Technical Secretariat, which is the Animal Production and Health Officer of the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC), are jointly responsible for the follow-up of the fulfillment of the program. The institutions and the scientific personnel, members of REDLAB, designated in the periodic meetings to provide a certain reference service are bound to do it. Finally all the institutions of the countries members of the Network have a right to the reference services.
COUNTRIES
Founding Members
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Other Members
- Barbados
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Dominican Republic
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
Each country has to name a laboratory as focal point and coordinator of the services of REDLAB to the research and veterinary diagnosis laboratories existing in the country.
REFERENCE SERVICES
The laboratories that count with infrastructure and qualified human resources to provide reference services have been identified through the Group of Experts, as follows:
- Campo Experimental de Salta/INTA. INTA/SALTA. Ruta Nacional 68 Km 172, Cerrillos C.C. 228, Salta 4400, Argentina. Aten. Dr. Alberto Guglielmone.
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Veterinarias/INTA, CC. 77, 1708 Morón, Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aten. Dra. Irene Lager.
- Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias de Microbiología/INIFAP, Km. 15 1/2 México-Toluca, México D.F. CP 05110, México. Aten. Dr. Eliseo Hernández.
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisas de Cerdos y Aves/EMBRAPA. CNPGA/EMBRAPA. Independencia 283, CEP 89.700, Concordia-SD, Brasil. Aten. Dr. Carlos Romero.
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisas de Ganado de Corte/EMBRAPA. CNPGC/EMBRAPA. Caixa Postal 154, Km. 4 BR 262, Campo Grande-MS, Brasil. Aten. Dr. Raúl H. Kessler.
- Centro Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria, Departamento de Virología/Inmunología, Apartado N° 10, San José de las Lajas, La Habana, Cuba, Aten. Dra. María Teresa Frías.
- Centro Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria. CENSA. Apartado Postal 10, San José de Las Lajas, La Habana, Cuba. Aten. Dra. Magali Alonso.
- Centro Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria. CENSA. Apartado Postal 10, San José de las Lajas. La Habana, Cuba. Aten. Dra. María Teresa Frías.
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Veterinaria/UFRGS, Av. Benito Gonçalvez 9090, Caixa Postal 2172, 91.500 Porto Alegre/RS, Brasil. Aten. Dra. Valeria Moojen.
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinaria Preventiva, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Federal de Santa María/CCR 97.119 Santa María/RS, Brasil. Aten. Dr. Rudi Weiblen
- Departamento de Virología de la Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias de la Universidad de Chile, Casilla 2, Correo 15, Santiago, Chile, Aten. Dr. Patricio Berríos.
- Dirección de Laboratorios Veterinarios "Miguel C. Rubino". DILAVE. Camino Maldonado Km. 17.500, Montevideo, Uruguay. Aten. Dr.Armando Nari y Dra. María Angélica Solari.
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Federal de Pelotas, Campus Universitario, 96.100 Pelotas/RS, Brasil. Aten. Dra. Carmen Lucía Garcés Ribeiro.
- Instituto de Medicina Veterinaria del Fondo Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria. IMV/FONIAP Apartado 70, Estado de Aragua, Maracay 300, Venezuela. Aten. Dra. Sonia Montenegro.
- Instituto de Medicina Veterinaria. IMV. Estación Experimental de Parasitología/IMV; Calle 15 N° 1011, esq. 12 Vedado, La Habana, Cuba. Aten. Dr. Luis Mendez Mellor.
- Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinarias "Desiderio Finamor". Caixa Postal 2076, 90001 Porto Alegre/RS, Brasil. Aten. Dr. Ricardo Medina Martins.
- Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinarias "Desiderio Finamor". IPVDF. Caixa Postal 2076, P. Alegre, RS, CEP 90001, Porto Alegre, Brasil. Aten. Dr. Víctor Hermes Cereser.
- Parasitología Veterinaria CENID/INIFAP. Apartado Postal 206, CIVAC CP 62500. Edo. de Morelos, México. Aten. Dr. Carlos Vega Murguia.
- Microbiología/INIFAP. INIFAP CENID-M. Apartado Postal 41-652, Cuajimalpa, CP 11001, México D.F., México. Aten. Dr. Pablo Correa Girón.
- Universidad Federal de Viçosa. U.F VICOSA. Departamento de Veterinaria, Universidad Federal de Viçosa, CEP 36570, Viçosa-MG, Brasil. Aten. Dr. Joaquín Patarroyo.
TRAINING
This can be done through formal courses or in-service training, accepting professionals from other laboratories to receive training in specific techniques. With resources from the Network member institutions and FAO/RLC it has been clear that the work strategy is feasible, achieving important results in formal and in-service training, activities in which FAO sponsored the training of 21 professionals of 12 countries in the Reference Laboratories of the Network, being important to mention that the training took place in these Laboratories under the modality of Technical Cooperation between Developing Countries (TCDP). In the 20 REDLAB reference laboratories nearly 150 professionals have been trained in their own countries, within the system of in-service training and formal courses on the diagnosis techniques that the network promotes. The three programs defined by the members of REDLAB are:
- Production and distribution of Standard diagnosis reagents
- Typification of isolations and stock
- Standardization of diagnosis and research techniques
- Production and generation of bibliographic revisions on specific isues
REPORTS
For further information on REDLAB please contact:
Moisés Vargas-Terán, Animal Health Officer
E-mail: Moises.VargasTeran@fao.org
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