National Reference Center for Mycobacteria

Medical Head of NRZ

Dr. med. Martin Kuhns

+49 4537 / 188-2075

+49 4537 / 188-3110

mkuhns@fz-borstel.de

Scientific Head

Prof. Dr. Stefan Niemann

+49 4537 / 188-7620

+49 4537 / 188-2091

sniemann@fz-borstel.de

The National Reference Center, appointed by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Robert Koch Institute, participates in the coordination of measures in the fight against and the surveillance of tuberculosis (TB).

National Reference Center (NRC) for Mycobacteria
Supranational Reference Laboratory (SRL) of WHO

The activities of the Reference Center comprise the following domains:

Diagnostics: Examination of approximately 12,000 samples per year for the detection and identification of mycobacteria as well as for susceptibility testing
Epidemiology: DNA fingerprinting for the discovery of infection chains in order to improve control measures
Development, improvement, and evaluation of new techniques for a more rapid diagnosis of TB
Advisory service for diagnostic laboratories and physicians. The consultation comprises inquiries on the epidemiology, diagnostics, and therapy of TB
Training: Approximately 100 guests annually are trained in all fields of TB diagnostics.
Expert for INSTAND EQA for tuberculosis
Consultant: among others for WHO, Médecins sans frontières (MSF), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), "Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau" (KfW, "German loan bank for reconstruction"), and KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation with activities in the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegowina, Croatia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrghysztan, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Southern Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

Documetation-Video of the National Reference Center

About the National Reference Center:

The NRZ for mycobacteria was one of the first reference centers in Germany and has always been based at the Research Center Borstel. In addition to diagnostics, the focus of the work is on epidemiology and the development, improvement and evaluation of new techniques for faster diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). In addition, research focuses on antibiotic resistance, the development of new active ingredients and the transmission of TB in low and high incidence countries. The completion of the building and the move to the new laboratories is planned for 2021. The costs amount to 12.8 million euros and are funded equally by the federal and state governments.

Client: Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center
General planning: Heinle Wischer Gesellschaft für Generalplanung GmbH
Project manager: Turner & Townsend

Primary isolation of mycobacteria with liquid and solid media from all specimens
Detection of mycobacteria by means of nucleic acid amplification methods from all specimens (exception: venous blood and bone marrow)
Differentiation of mycobacteria by molecular techniques
Susceptibility testing of all mycobacteria species in liquid and on solid media. Genetic detection of mutations associated with resistance against INH and RMP.
DNA analyses (IS6110 DNA fingerprinting, spoligotyping, MIRU) for the comparison of tuberculosis bacteria isolates, for example in the case of a suspected laboratory cross contamination