Denis Nyakilinga, Soufien Sghaier, Khalil Zro, Nicolas Keck, Catherine Cetre-Sossah, Modou Moustapha Lo, Sara Acha, Fatiha El Mellouli, Thabisile Tshabalala, Ahmed Bezeid El Mamy, Abdulwahed Mohammed Alrizqi, Maman Moutari Souley, Claudia Filippone, Baratang A. Lubisi, Jean-Michel Heraud, Nadera Bouayed, Marthin Dakouo, Sitty-Bahyat Chamassy, Kareem Abdelfattah Abdelwahab Mohammed, Hanane Khallouki, Ghizlane Sebbar, Haladou Gagara, Aurélie Pédarrieu, Jelly Chang’a, Abdallah Traoré, M. Diop, Hafsa Madani, Gilda Grard, Laurenco Mapaco, Yahya Barry, Abdou Achiraffi, Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes (UMR ASTRE), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Département Systèmes Biologiques (Cirad-BIOS), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), Laboratoire Régional d'Analyses et de Recherches de Casablanca (LRARC), Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires [Maroc] (ONSSA), Biopharma [Rabat, Maroc], Université de Tunis El Manar (UTM), Institut National de la Médecine Vétérinaire [Mohammadia, Algérie] (INMV), Laboratoire National d'Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires [Dakar] (LNERV), Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles [Dakar] (ISRA), Office National de Recherche et de Développement de l’Elevage (ONARDEL), Laboratoire Central Vétérinaire [Bamako, Mali], Laboratoire Central de l’Elevage [Niamey, Niger] (LABOCEL), Mozambique Institute of Agricultural Research (IIAM), Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency [Dar es Salaam, Tanzania] (TVLA), ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research [Onderstepoort, South Africa] (ARC-OVR), Unité de Virologie [Antananarivo, Madagascar] (IPM), Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur (RIIP)-Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur (RIIP), Laboratoire vétérinaire et d’analyses départemental [Mayotte, France] (LVAD976), Laboratoire Départemental Vétérinaire de l'Hérault, Conseil Général de l'Hérault, Centre National de Référence (CNR) des Arbovirus - Laboratoire coordonnateur : Equipe Résidente de Recherche d'Infectiologie Tropicale (ERRIT), Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées Hôpital d’Instruction des Armées Laveran, Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Jazan Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory [Jizan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia], This study was partly funded by the SURE project, Préfecture de la Réunion, INTERREG FEDER TROI 2015-2017 in the framework of the DP One Health Indian Ocean., We are grateful to Annelise Tran for her help producing the map illustrating the countries that took part in the PT, and to Denise Bastron for registering the participants and sending the panels to the participating laboratories. The authors would like also to thank the veterinarians (CoopADEM, Food, Agriculture and Forestry Directorate (DAAF, Direction de l’Alimentation, de l’Agriculture et de la Forêt) for their assistance in obtaining the blood samples., Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique, and Heraud, Jean-Michel
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), an arbovirus belonging to the Phlebovirus genus of the Phenuiviridae family, causes the zoonotic and mosquito-borne RVF. The virus, which primarily affects livestock (ruminants and camels) and humans, is at the origin of recent major outbreaks across the African continent (Mauritania, Libya, Sudan), and in the South-Western Indian Ocean (SWIO) islands (Mayotte). In order to be better prepared for upcoming outbreaks, to predict its introduction in RVFV unscathed countries, and to run efficient surveillance programmes, the priority is harmonising and improving the diagnostic capacity of endemic countries and/or countries considered to be at risk of RVF. A serological inter-laboratory proficiency test (PT) was implemented to assess the capacity of veterinary laboratories to detect antibodies against RVFV. A total of 18 laboratories in 13 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa, and the Indian Ocean participated in the initiative. Two commercial kits and two in-house serological assays for the detection of RVFV specific IgG antibodies were tested. Sixteen of the 18 participating laboratories (88.9%) used commercial kits, the analytical performance of test sensitivity and specificity based on the seroneutralisation test considered as the reference was 100%. The results obtained by the laboratories which used the in-house assay were correct in only one of the two criteria (either sensitivity or specificity). In conclusion, most of the laboratories performed well in detecting RVFV specific IgG antibodies and can therefore be considered to be prepared. Three laboratories in three countries need to improve their detection capacities. Our study demonstrates the importance of conducting regular proficiency tests to evaluate the level of preparedness of countries and of building a network of competent laboratories in terms of laboratory diagnosis to better face future emerging diseases in emergency conditions.