National Reference Center for Mycobacteria

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: Typing of mycobacterial strains to detect 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 and NTM
• 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, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

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 building was commissioned in 2022. 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 including resistance mutations
• Differentiation of mycobacteria by molecular techniques
• Susceptibility testing of all mycobacteria species in liquid and on solid media. Detection of mutations in tuberculosis bacteria for resistance prediction using genomic sequence analysis (NGS, tNGS).
• DNA analyses (MIRU typing, NGS) in the case of a suspected laboratory cross contamination or for analyzing outbreaks and transmissions

• Prä-analytic Handbook - German

• Referral forms
  
  • Human
  • Animal - German
  • Environment - German
• Book of NRZ/KL-RKI Netzwerktreffens 2023

Information on tuberculosis

• Division of Mycobacteriology at the FZB
• Tuberkulose Fact Sheet der WHO
• STOP TB homepage
• Robert Koch-Institut
• INSTAND
• American Thoracic Society 
• Centers for Disease Control
• European Society of Mycobacteriology
• Euzéby: List of Mycobacteria with Standing in Nomenclature

Head

Medical Head of NRZ

Dr. med. Martin Kuhns

+49 4537 / 188-2110

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Prof. Dr. med. Alexander Mischnik

+49 4537 / 188-2110

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Scientific Head

Prof. Dr. Stefan Niemann

+49 4537 / 188-7620

+49 4537 / 188-2091

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Assistance to the Management Team / Requests for test results

 

Carina Dührkopp

+49 4537 / 188-2111

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Svenja Somenek

+49 4537 / 188-2110

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Laboratory Manager / Accounting / Medical Device Safety

Anne-Kathrin Slevogt

+49 4537 / 188-2050

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Staff Scientists / external quality assessments

Dr. Sönke Andres

+49 4537 / 188-6480

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Dr. Moritz Jansson

+49 4537 / 188-2840

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Dr. Christina Kallenberg

+49 4537 / 188-6460

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Technical Staff

 

Melanie Arwers

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Kristine Beuck

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Rico Bluszis

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Fenja Boysen

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Anna Delfs

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Carina Dührkopp

+49 4537 / 188-2111

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Silvia Höllger

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Claudia Larisch

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Ilse Radzio

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Birte Schlüter

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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Katja Schweim

+49 4537 / 188-2100

+49 4537 / 188-3110

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