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The National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) is a division of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, health emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disease control and prevention. NML is primarily located in the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health (CSCHAH) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, also home to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease. This modern state-of-the-art infectious disease laboratory facility houses the only Containment Level 4 (also known as Biosafety Level 4) operational laboratories in Canada. With maximum containment, scientists are able to work safely with pathogens ranging from the most common to the most serious including Ebola, Marburg and Lassa fever. The NML aims to advance human health through laboratory leadership, scientific excellence, and public health innovation, through the identification, investigation, control and prevention of infectious disease. NML’s role involves five main activities. On a day-to-day basis, NML staff are confirming provincial diagnostic results and sub-typing samples to monitor for resistance and determine the specific strains that are circulating. They are studying how pathogens infect cells and developing vaccines against the world’s most problematic viruses. They are leading national and international laboratory networks that enhance the standardization and quality of testing, augment training, and provide connections that can be relied on during outbreaks. All of this day-to-day work is interspersed with larger outbreaks such as SARS, H1N1 and listeriosis for which NML must maintain a constant state of readiness in order to respond to emerging threats. These examples of reference services, surveillance, research, leadership and emergency response demonstrate the five core activities through which NML accomplishes its mission. The first four activities are always ongoing and are essential for ensuring the technical capacity and scientific knowledge base required to effectively respond to emergency situations and emerging issues. == History == The National Microbiology Laboratory was preceded by the Bureau of Microbiology which was originally part of the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control of Health Canada in Ottawa. In the 1980s, Health Canada identified both the need to replace existing laboratory space that was reaching the end of its lifespan and the need for Containment Level 4 space in the country. Around the same time, Agriculture Canada (prior to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency being formed) also identified the need for new laboratory space including high-containment. Numerous benefits were identified for housing both laboratories in one building and Winnipeg was chosen as the site; an announcement was made in October 1987. After some debate, the spot chosen for the site was a city works yard near to the Health Sciences Centre (a major teaching hospital), the University of Manitoba’s medical school, and other life science organizations. Construction of the facility that came to be named the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health (often referred to locally as “the Virology Lab”) began with an official groundbreaking in December 1992. The joint venture design team of Toronto-based Dunlop Architects and Winnipeg-based Smith Carter Architects and Engineers Inc. visited 30 laboratories to seek best practices in containment and design. Construction finished toward the end of 1997 with the first programs beginning in the spring of 1998 and all laboratories coming on line after that. The official opening took place in 1999.〔(News Release ).〕 Following the SARS outbreak in 2003, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) was formed in 2004 〔(News Release )〕 to provide a stronger focus on public health and emergency preparedness in the country. It is a member of the federal Health Portfolio (along with Health Canada, the Canadian Institute of Health Research, and other organizations). NML is part of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control branch of PHAC. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「National Microbiology Laboratory」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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