Casablanca Regional Laboratory for Analysis and Research (LRARC)
Laboratory activities by section :
The laboratory’s activities focus on the animal health and food hygiene components.
1.Animal Health Section :
The activity of the Animal Health Section includes the diagnosis and control of animal diseases, the conduct of national epidemiological investigations and the control of the importation of animals.
In addition, the LRARC is approved by the European Union to carry out diagnostic analyses of equine diseases for export.
This section has four technical units:
- Serology unit: responsible for the serological diagnosis of animal diseases including: Diseases of equidae (equine plague, infectious anemia, glanders, dourine, rhinopneumonia, West Nile and viral arteritis), Ruminant diseases (Blue tongue, IBR/IPV, bovine leucosis, brucellosis, foot-and-mouth disease, clavelee, BVD, paratuberculosis, CAEV, chlamydiosis, etc.);
- Veterinary Diagnostic Unit: responsible for bacteriological and parasitic diagnosis of diseases in various animal species including bees. This unit also diagnoses contagious equine metritis, bovine genital campylobacteriosis and trichomonosis by culture.
- Virology unit: responsible for the virological diagnosis of diseases in the different animal species by seroneutralisation on cell cultures and viral isolation on embryonic eggs as well as the diagnosis of rabies by IF
- Molecular biology unit: responsible for the diagnosis of animal diseases by conventional PCR and real-time PCR such as avian influenza and Blue Tongue viruses
2. Food Hygiene Section :
The purpose of this section is to carry out microbiological, chemical and toxicological analyses on foodstuffs intended for human consumption and on raw materials, premixes and compound feedingstuffs for animal feed and on water. These test items are tested for compliance to protect consumer and animal health.
Quality assurance :
The quality assurance approach has been in place since 1994. It has made it possible to set up a quality manual, general procedures and quality plans. It aims at accreditation according to ISO 17025.