The Cantacuzino Institute was founded in 1921, based on a royal decree, to develop four main activities: production of vaccines and sera, supporting and directing public health centres from Romanian territory for improving their microbiology laboratory performance for infectious diseases surveillance and control, scientific research aiming at increasing the laboratory capacity and training of microbiology and immunology specialists.

The main objectives of the Institute’s activity have been and still are the consolidation of the professional and institutional capacity as well as improving cooperation for participating in national and international programs of research, surveillance and control of communicable diseases.
Since 1991, the Cantacuzino NIRDMI has regain it’s position as a former member of the Pasteur Institute network, a large scientific community comprising 32 public and public health institutions on five continents.
The Public Health Microbiology Department in the Cantacuzino NIRDMI is under the coordination of the Scientific Director and is led by a Chief of Department.
Starting with 2006 the department is located in the “E” building which was refurbished within a PHARE project (Europe Aid/113121/D/SV/RO 0107.14), co-financed by the Romanian MoH.
Funding of public health laboratories activity is coming mainly from national and international research projects, laboratory services and participation in national public health programs.

The Public Health Microbiology Department is divided into 10 Laboratories, each of them consisting in one or more reference centres, which are covering microbiology of the main priority infectious diseases. National Laboratories Reference function is stipulated by a Government Decision on the Functioning of Cantacuzino NIRDMI. Every two years a Ministery of Health Order is up-dating national public health programs, including Cantacuzino NIRDMI involvement.
Since 2013, laboratory reference function was included by a Government decision as a component of the Cantacuzino NIRDMI national interest position.
A number of 108 people are working in the Department, including 37 researchers. A number of 19 public health microbiology experts from our institute are nominated as microbiology contact points for ECDC on specific diseases.

The National Centre for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases, functioning in the National Institute of Public Health, which is the national centre responsible for detection, surveillance and control of communicable diseases, is delivering yearly current methodologies for prioritized disease programs, in collaboration with reference laboratories functioning in the Cantacuzino NIRDMI. The National Public Health Institute is covering epidemiology training delivered by the Romanian EUPHEM site.

Victor Babes Infectious and Tropical Diseases Hospital Bucharest, one of the best infectious diseases hospitals in Romania, is contributing to theoretical and integrally covering practical training on microbiology of TB and mycoses.

Public Health Microbiology Laboratories functioning in Cantacuzino NIRDMI are supporting surveillance and control of infectious diseases by covering the reference functions, as formulated by the “European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Core functions of microbiology reference laboratories for communicable diseases. Stockholm: ECDC; 2010”. Thus, they are playing a central role in detecting epidemics, monitoring prioritized infectious diseases, providing microbiological data for public health response and scientific evidence for infectious diseases prevention and control.

Reference public health microbiology laboratories in Cantacuzino NIRDMI are involved in communicable diseases early warning and investigation of infectious diseases outbreaks (e.g. food and water borne diseases, hospital acquired infections, antimicrobial resistant community/hospital infections outbreaks etc.).
Laboratory surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases, sexually and blood transmitted diseases etc. provides serological and/or molecular data for integrated public health action, as introducing new vaccines, new surveillance programs or methods etc.
- See more at: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/epiet/institutes/Pages/Romania-%E2%80%8BNIRDMI-EUPHEM.aspx#sthash.0JSDHehv.dpuf