Institutional strengthening of the Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory (LRM, Bénin) for quality services and better quality of health care for Mycobacteria and other clinical bacteria, at National and Regional Level. (BENIN - 2018 - FA4)

The ITM has been working with the Beninese partner Laboratoire de Référence des Mycobactéries (LRM) since 1995, this is the national mycobacteriological reference laboratory where tuberculosis diagnoses (including resistance of it), Buruli ulcer, and leprosy. The team in LRM supervises microscopy for tuberculosis diagnostics in 84 hospitals in Benin, including in regional hospitals where other Belgian actors are active. This microscopy network is a model for other African countries, and also LRM itself is recognized as being of exceptional quality in the region by World Health Organization, which is LRM's status as a candidate Supranational Reference Laboratory '(SRL). The continuation as SRL will follow when LRM achieves the ISO15189 standard, and the new BSL3 lab is open, that with financing of the Global Fund. Prof. dr. Dissou Affolabi has his doctorate at ITM after being a clinical microbiologist in France trained. In addition to his work on mycobacteria, he works as head of microbiology and head of hospital hygiene in the national university hospital CNHU, in what capacity he cooperates with Prof Jan Jacobs in the ITM.
The specific objective of this cooperation is the institutional strengthening of the mycobacteriological reference laboratory (LRM) for quality services and better quality of healthcare
mycobacteria and other pathogenic bacteria, at national and regional level.
The intended results are:
1. Personnel are knowledgeable regarding scientific TB research as well routine diagnostics and management
2. (Bio) safe working environment
3. Grant administration office is functional
4. LRM is an active supranational reference laboratory
5. LRM exchanges results electronically with the regional reference laboratories and the national TB program
6. CNHU is adept in the restriction of (non-mycobacterial) resistance against antibiotics, and ensures high quality in microbiological surveillance, antibiotic management and hospital infection prevention and monitoring with a network to district hospitals