Program Aid No. 1840

United States Department of AgricultureAnimal and Plant Health Inspection ServiceNational VeterinaryServicesLaboratories:An Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibitsdiscrimination in all its programs and activities on the basisof race, color, national origin, age, disability, and whereapplicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parentalstatus, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information,political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of anindividual’s income is derived from any public assistanceprogram. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)Persons with disabilities who require alternative means forcommunication of program information (Braille, large print,audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at(202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint ofdiscrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382(TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.Photo credits: The front cover photo was taken by USDAphotographer Ken Hammond. All interior shots except thelast one were taken by USDA–Agricultural Research Servicephotographer James Fosse. APHIS’ Kathy Apicelli, anemployee of the National Veterinary Services Laboratories,took the last picture in the leaflet.Issued October 2005 (Online copy updated August 2009)

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All this work is done by a professional staff of

almost 350 in 4 testing departments—the Diagnostic Bacteriology Laboratory, the Pathobiology Laboratory, the Foreign Animal Disease DiagnosticLaboratory (FADDL), and the Diagnostic VirologyLaboratory—as well as 3 support units. Behindthe-scenes support includes Information ResourceManagement Services, Engineering and FacilitiesManagement Services, and Administrative Management and Program Services. All departments arelocated in Ames, IA, except FADDL, which is locatedon Plum Island, off the coast of Long Island, NY.

NVSL personnel work closely with the World

Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to provide consultation, reagents, and training for foreign countries and serve as the reference laboratory for theNational Animal Health Laboratory Network(NAHLN). NVSL clients and stakeholders includeprivate, State, Federal, university, and other groups,both domestic and international.Safeguarding U.S. Animal HealthThe NVSL safeguards U.S. animal health and contributes to public health by ensuring that timely andaccurate laboratory support is provided by anationwide animal-health diagnostic system.NVSL personnel accomplish this through■ Providing diagnostic services, reagants, and

training in world-class facilities;

■ Preparing for and responding to animal health

emergencies and emerging threats;

■ Taking an active role in the leadership of the

NAHLN;

■ Serving as an international reference laboratory,

and

■ Maintaining a well-trained and responsive staff.

In the FutureNVSL specialists are continually developing newassays to meet the national needs for animalhealth care. NVSL employees collaborate withworkers at VS’ Center for Veterinary Biologics(CVB), which conducts biological product evaluations, and with workers at the National Animal Disease Center (NADC), a USDA research facility.

NVSL, CVB, and NADC will move together into

a single complex called the National Centers forAnimal Health (NCAH). This move creates a strongsynergy to meet the ever-changing national needsfor animal health. When in the combined facilities,the three groups will also increase operational efficiency due to their close proximity and shared infrastructure.

As the reference laboratory for the NAHLN, NVSL

will continue to support the growth of the Federal–State laboratory network over the years to come.Laboratory capacity for animal disease surveillanceand emergency response will increase, focusing onimproved geographic access to laboratory servicesand a broader number of diseases covered usingcommon testing platforms.

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NVSL pathologists examine thousands of samples ofbrain tissue annually, looking for indications of thepresence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or “madcow disease,” in cattle that displayed signs of centralnervous system illness at slaughter.