National Reference Laboratory for Papillomaviruses and Polyomaviruses

The NRL for Papillomaviruses provides clinical diagnosis of anogenital HPV infections. The NRL is accredited under ISO 15 189. For clinical samples it uses two SOPs. Additionally, a number of other methods is utilized in the laboratory for the detection of skin types of HPV and animal papillomaviruses.

Besides molecular-biological methods the laboratory detects HPV-specific antibodies in sera of patients. The NRL tests commercial kits for HPV detection, prepares samples for external quality assessment (EQA) for microbiology laboratories in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and provides consulting and training services. The NRL participates in the international EQA and is a member of the network of specialized HPV laboratories under WHO with focus on expert typing of HPV. The laboratory cooperates with the European Cervical Cancer Association.