Le laboratoire d'analyses de biologie médicale référent en zone tropicale : exemple du réseau international des Instituts Pasteur

The Réseau international des Instituts Pasteur (RIIP) includes 29 institutes of which 17 are located in tropical area. The clinical analysis laboratoires from the RIIP play a significant role in different fields: diagnosis, expertise, research and training. Eventhough the laboratories are usually located in a tropical environment in which financial resources, as well as the amount of equipment are both restricted, they have been able to gain experience through several generations of biologists in order to answer the needs of populations and health authorities. Based on practicle examples and reports of field situations, the authors show the major difficulties encountered in reference laboratories in such tropical area and suggest solving solutions.