ECDC has a mandate to foster the development of sufficient capacity for diagnosis, detection, identification and characterization of infectious agents which may threaten public health. To achieve this, ECDC shall collect, collate, evaluate and disseminate relevant scientific and technical data, including data on molecular surveillance.

Molecular typing or microbial DNA fingerprinting has developed rapidly since 1990 and many typing methods, like PCR techniques and sequencing have become increasingly part of routine strain characterization in many national reference level laboratories. Molecular typing provides essential discriminatory tools for different surveillance purposes, e.g. monitoring spread of clones and strains, early detection of dispersed international outbreaks, and prediction of epidemic potential.

As appropriate typing methods for surveillance purposes vary remarkably by pathogens, it is necessary to establish agreed procedures to develop molecular surveillance at the EU level. ECDC has started the preparations for integrating molecular typing data to EU wide surveillance by having a brain storm meeting with molecular typing experts in July 2007.

Based on the outcome of this meeting, a concept paper on how to integrate molecular data to EU level surveillance has been drafted. This concept paper follows the principles of the general framework for ECDC cooperation with microbiology laboratories and research institutes (general laboratory strategy), which addresses networking with national laboratories to promote and lead the development of standardised sub-typing schemes for microbiological data required for surveillance purposes.

The draft concept paper has been discussed in the meeting of the National Microbiology Focal Points on 25-26 September 2008 and in the recent Advisory Forum Meetings of the 9-10 October 2008 and 9-10 December 2008. A wide consultation among scientists has just ended and the concept paper is planned to be finalized by the end of 2008.