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The mission of National Animal Helath Laboratory Network(NAHLN) is to "provide accessible, timely, accurate and consistent animal disease laboratory services nationwide and maintain the capacity and capability to respond to a foreign animal disease outbreak and to focus on diseases of livestock, but also including non-livestock species." <P>
On-going surveillance is performed at Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory(CSUVDL)for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy(BSE), Chronic Wasting Disease(CWD), Scrapie, Avian Influenza(AI), Exotic Newcastle Disease(END), Vesicular Stomatitis(VS) and Classical Swine FeverCSF). This on-going surveillance will continue for the next year. <P>
Furthermore, CSUVDL has requested participation in pseudorabies, swine influenza, and foot and mouth disease surveillance programs. CSUVDL just moved into a new facility with markedly enhanced biocontainment cpabilities. <P>
The new building has 2000 sq ft of BSL3 space completely isolated with a separate filtered air handling system. <P>
Quality System documentation is largely electronic and objectives for the next year include computer refinements to the system. A system to allow for better continual upgrades and documentation of training logs for all staff is planned. This will allow managers to better search the training logs for a given standard operating procedure or for a given technician. <P>
Also planned for the coming year are increased reviews of quality system issues at monthly staff meetings to better encourage understanding of the quality system and enhanced staff participation in Corrective and Preventative Action procedures. <P>
The laboratory director Dr. Powers will continue to serve on the AAVLD Accreditation Committee and various laboratory staff will continue to serve as AAVLD auditors participating in AAVLD site visits. In July, Dr. Powers will be speaking at the annual American Veterinary Medical Association Convention on Quality Systems in the NAHLN. <P>
Training for responding to foreign animal and emerging diseases is part of the Qualtiy System as only trained staff can perform tests for these diseases. Objectives are to take and pass proficiency tests as they are offered. Plans for 2009 include implementing a new Laboratory Information Management System during the fall/winter of 2009. Built into STARLIMS is automatic messaging using Rhapsody rather than cURL. The message will need to be rebuilt from the new LIMS but once a message has been created, adding new diseases will be easy. Mr. Kammerzell will continue to participate with the NAHLN IT subcommittee to provide direction and support to USDA computer services.One current goal is to create a generic, unsolicited result message that can be quickly customized for an outbreak. Work will continue in 2009/10 with the terminology services group to provide requests for uncategorized specimens and integrate their efforts into the NAHLN and CSUVDL's Laboratory Information Management System. <P>
Other infrastructure efforts will continue to enhance detection, response and recovery from an animal agriculture catastrophe or early detection of an emerging disease. Outreach efforts to stakeholders in the region will continue.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The mission of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) is ?to provide accessible, timely, accurate and consistent animal disease laboratory services nationwide and maintain the capacity and capability to respond to a foreign animal disease outbreak and to focus on diseases of livestock, but also including non-livestock species.? The Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories (CSUVDL) is able to meet this mission by virtue of our quality system, staff trained for detecting foreign animal and emerging diseases, advanced Information Technology system including capabilities for NAHLN messaging, proven NAHLN testing capacity including equipment and BSL2 and BSL3 laboratory space, inter-laboratory support, and outreach activities. CSUVDL is accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians as full-service, all species indicating the Quality System meets standards based on ISO17025. Training for responding to foreign animal and emerging diseases is part of the Quality System and is on-going. CSUVDL has an advanced Information Technology (IT) system that is undergoing an extensive upgrade using the STARLIMS system. Currently, CSUVDL has standard operating procedures in-place and technicians trained for BSE, Scrapie, CWD, Avian Influenza, Newcastle disease virus, Classical Swine Fever, foot and mouth disease, and vesicular stomatitis testing. These surveillance programs will continue and new ones begin as available. In July 2009, CSUVDL will be moving into a new facility with markedly enhanced biocontainment capabilities. CSUVDL is ready and will assist other laboratories as needed. CSUVDL routinely contributes to outreach and service activities throughout the state and nation, and will continue to do so.
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APPROACH: The methods used to test samples for the described diseases are USDA approved methods only, and follow USDA protocols per the NAHLN checklist. Most assays are realtime polymerase chain reaction assays. Also ELISA testing, complement fixation, and immunohistochemistry techniques are utilized. The numbers of tests performed are summarized by the Laboratory Information Management System that stores the data. The transfer of results is done as determine by the USDA NAHLN IT sub-committee working with USDA's staff. The educational outreach efforts are tabulated and listed.