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A European laboratory network for sequence- based typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a communication platform between human and veterinary medicine- -an update on SeqNet.org.

Introduction of SeqNet.org SeqNet.org is currently an initiative of 44 laboratories from 25 European countries and one laboratory from Lebanon (Table 1), founded in 2004, in collaboration with the Robert Koch Institute at the University of Münster, Germany (http://www.SeqNet.org). Since then, its main objective is to establish a European network of excellence for sequence-based typing of microbial pathogens, having its main focus on Staphylococcus aureus [1]. SeqNet. org comprises a large number of national reference laboratories as well as university laboratories. The principle goal of SeqNet. org is to generate unambiguous, easily comparable typing data in electronic, portable form to be used by infection control at a local level as well as national and European surveillance of sentinel microorganisms, such as methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). spa- typing has been shown to be a useful tool in molecular hospital epidemiology [2, 3]. Veterinary laboratories have recently joined the SeqNet.org initiative as MRSA has become an emerging problem in veterinary medicine [4, 5]. spa-typing data from human and veterinary medicine can be compared using the spa server database [6]. SeqNet.org objectives 1. Organisation and participation in seven international workshops contributed to the harmonisation of sequencing methods for sequence-based typing of MRSA and the capacity for building DNA sequencing in diagnostic microbiology. Further meetings and workshops are planned. 2. SeqNet.org rules require that SeqNet.org laboratories (Table 1) undergo at least one certification trial [7] for sequence- based typing of MRSA. Regular proficiency tests are foreseen. 3. Curatorship of the Ridom spa server and the development and maintenance of a SeqNet.org web-portal allows the transfer of data at an international level. 4. The excellence of data quality needs to be maintained. This is necessary as the access to the spa server will be enlarged in

laboratories; Staphylococcus aureus; typing; Europe; strains

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