Within the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture & Land Reclamation, the National Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production or NLQP is responsible for veterinary inspection of the poultry production to ensure its freedom from diseases of economic significance, in accordance with the specifications of the quality control and biosafety measures. NLQP is responsible for:

• Inspection of imported fertile eggs and day-old chicks of grandparents, parents, layers and meat type-chickens.
• Issuing veterinary health certificate in accordance with national (General Organization of Veterinary Services) and international (OIE, FAO and WHO) regulations.
• Regular inspection of poultry industry activities as grandparent, broiler breeder, layer and meat type commercial chicken flocks, hatcheries and laboratories to ensure its freedom from pathogens of economic significance and they are in accordance with the biosafety measures.
• Testing poultry feed and food of poultry origin for pathogens causing diseases.
• By law, requests for exporting poultry products (as fertile eggs and day old chicks, ducks, turkeys and adult chickens) should be submitted to lab.
• Lab investigations of field cases are submitted to the lab by clients.

Click to view online slideshows about NLQP's:

• Activities regarding diagnosis and control of HPAI
• Gene Analysis Unit
• Compartmentalization approach and surveillance activities

One of the laboratory’s objectives is to safeguard the Egyptian poultry industry:

• Ensure food safety of poultry origin.
• Improve the quality of poultry production.
• Meet the client requirements and satisfaction.
• Ensure lab personnel safety.
• Comply with ISO 17025 requirements

NLQP's subdivisions and their responsibilities:

Virology unit:

• Isolation and identification of avian influenza virus.
• Isolation of Newcastle disease virus.
• Isolation and identification of poultry viral agents using propagation of viruses in embryonated chicken eggs and cell culture techniques.

Gene Analysis Unit:

• Genetic Analysis of all avian diseases agents ABI 3700 gene analyzer.

Epidemiology Unit:

• Data recording
• Outbreak investigations
• Monitoring and evaluation of projects
• Data analysis and reporting to the national and international authorities

NLQP is the governmental laboratory responsible of diagnosis of Avian Influenza in Egypt
The lab is capable of performing the following tests:

• Isolation and identification of avian influenza virus.
• Isolation of Newcastle disease virus.
• Isolation and identification of salmonella spp.
• Isolation and identification of avian mycoplasma.
• Isolation and identification of bacterial agents.
• Antibacterial sensitivity test.
• Typing of Salmonella Spp.
• Colony count technique.
• Diagnosis of Parasitic infestation.
• Histopathological Examination.
• Isolation and identification of poultry viral agents using propagation of viruses in embryonated chicken eggs and cell culture techniques.
• Haemagglutination inhibition test. (HI)‏
• Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbant Assay (ELISA)‏
• Antigen capture ELISA

NLQP publications:

• Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Subtype H5N1 in Africa: A Comprehensive Phylogenetic Analysis and Molecular Characterization of Isolates (Co-author): Study in PLoS ONE journal | Article from CIDRAP