FDA VET-LRN VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY PROGRAM

The goal of the CVM Vet-LRN Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Program is to complement, develop, and use university, state and federal veterinary diagnostic laboratory resources and expertise in order to increase national laboratory capacity to detect, respond to and recover from a catastrophic animal food/feed &" contamination event, either microbial or chemical. The program's funding would allow provision for equipment, supplies, and personnel; training in standardized testing methodologies; participation in proficiency testing in those methodologies; participation in method enhancement activities to extend analysis capability; and analysis of surveillance and emergency outbreak samples. Nationwide standardization of validated laboratory tests, competent laboratory analysts, uniform laboratory quality systems, and electronic communication of laboratory data are essential to the FDA's mission to protect food safety and security nationwide with the ultimate goal of protecting public health. The Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) at Washington State University is well positioned to effectively function as a regional laboratory in the CVM Vet-LRN Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Program. Since 1974 WADDL has provided full laboratory diagnostic services, including pathology, microbiology and toxicology, to veterinarians and animal owners throughout the Pacific Northwest. WADDL actively participates in multiple national laboratory networks (USDA-NAHLN, CDC-LRN) and is well practiced in standardized methods, equipment, proficiency testing, and electronic reporting. Furthermore, WADDL has a mature laboratory quality system based upon international ISO 17025 laboratory standards, being fully accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians laboratory accreditation program. Finally, as a Select Agent approved laboratory, WADDL has didicated BSL-3 laboratory space with personnel highly trained in maximal biosecurity procedures. Participation by WSU-WADDL in the Vet-LRN Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Program would provide FDA-CVM with increased laboratory capacity and capability in the Pacific Northwest region of the USA in the event of animal food or drug related illnesses or other large scale animal food/feed emergency events by leveraging current high quality, state funded laboratory resources and expertise.