National 

Animal Health 

Laboratory Network

USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of 

race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, 

familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, 

political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is 

derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply 

to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 

communication 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 of discrimination, 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: Bottom cover photo and inside left panel photo by Texas A&M 

Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Station, TX. Photo on the 

outside back panel by the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue 

University, West Lafayette, IN. Horse photo by James Fosse, USDA/APHIS. All other 

photos come from the USDA image collection.

Revised November 2013 

Contact Us

USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services-NVSL

NAHLN Program Office

1920 Dayton Avenue (for packages)

Ames, IA 50010

P.O. Box 844 (for letters)

Ames, IA 50010

Fax: (515) 337-7397

Phone: (515) 337-7266

Email: nahln@aphis.usda.gov

Web site: www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln

Information Technology Plays Its Part

Information technology systems continue to be improved to support 

the NAHLN vision by providing electronic interconnectivity between 

diagnostic sample collectors, NAHLN laboratories, and national 

databases. NAHLN uses data and messaging standards established 

by the veterinary medical and public health communities to ensure 

that diagnostic information is quickly and accurately shared with 

network labs and decisionmakers. 

The NAHLN Portal is a secure Web site that allows network 

laboratories to exchange information with the NAHLN program office 

(i.e., standard operating procedures, proficiency testing status, 

financial agreements, and assay performance monitoring data) 

efficiently. By streamlining information sharing, the NAHLN Portal 

better enables the network to respond to adverse animal 

health events.

Train the Trainer

NVSL developed and continues to run a “train the trainer” program to 

increase the number of laboratories with personnel trained to conduct 

diagnostic tests for AI, ND, CSF, FMD, and IAV-S. This program has not 

only increased the number of laboratory personnel prepared to respond 

to a national animal health emergency, but also provided the United 

States with a cadre of trainers available to teach others when needed. 

The success of this program is a significant step for the NAHLN in 

achieving its goals of sufficient diagnostic capability and capacity to 

address an animal health emergency. Enhancing 

Early Detection

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Program Aid No. 1878
Personnel in NAHLN laboratories are approved to conduct screening 

tests to detect various animal diseases, including avian influenza (AI), 

Newcastle disease (ND), bovine spongiform encephalopathy, chronic 

wasting disease, scrapie, classical swine fever (CSF), foot-and-mouth 

disease (FMD), vesicular stomatitis virus, pseudorabies virus, and 

influenza A virus in swine (IAV-S). 

At the Federal level, USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories 

(NVSL) serves as the national veterinary diagnostic reference and 

confirmatory laboratory. NVSL participates in methods validation 

and provides training, proficiency testing, assistance, materials, and 

prototypes for diagnostic tests. The NAHLN program office coordinates 

all network activities, ensuring that all participating laboratories have 

laboratory review and approvals based on their quality management 

systems; appropriate standardized operating procedures, permits, 

and equipment; secure 

mechanisms to provide 

standardized data; and 

funding mechanisms 

in place for financial 

reimbursement.

Networking these resources 

provides an extensive 

infrastructure of facilities, 

equipment, and personnel 

geographically accessible 

no matter where disease strikes. The laboratories have the capability 

to conduct nationwide surveillance testing for the early detection of 

an animal disease outbreak. They also have the capacity to test large 

numbers of samples rapidly during an outbreak and demonstrate that 

our country is free from the disease after it’s been eradicated. 

The Bigger Picture

The NAHLN provides diagnostic testing to identify biological threats to our 

Nation’s animal agriculture—a critical service that helps protect animal 

and public health. In this role, NAHLN stands as a first responder for 

detecting disease outbreaks early and alerting animal health officials 

quickly so they can set up an effective emergency response. Early 

detection and warning are essential to keep disease from spreading 

and minimize its impact. The NAHLN conducts testing under a quality 

management system to maintain accurate, consistent results. This 

commitment to quality in our national diagnostic network helps generate 

trust among global trading partners and increase consumer confidence in 

the U.S. food supply.

Key elements of the NAHLN system include increased and more flexible 

capacity for laboratory support of routine and emergency animal disease 

diagnosis and official responses to bioterrorism events; standardized, 

rapid diagnostic techniques used at the State, regional, and national 

levels; secure systems for communicating, issuing alerts, and reporting; 

and modern equipment and experienced personnel.

Other important aspects of the NAHLN include national training; 

upgraded facilities that meet biocontainment and physical security 

requirements; regional and national training exercises to test and 

evaluate the network’s communication and reporting protocols during 

an animal health emergency; and laboratory review and approval 

processes consistent with American Association of Veterinary Laboratory 

Diagnosticians and International Organization for Standardization 17025 

quality standards.

The Roles of NAHLN Cooperators

The NAHLN is a cooperative effort between two U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) agencies—the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture—and 

the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. It is 

a multifaceted network composed of sets of laboratories that focus on 

different diseases. All of the network’s laboratories use common testing 

methods and software platforms to process diagnostic requests and 

share information.

The State and university laboratories in the NAHLN perform routine 

diagnostic tests for endemic animal diseases as well as targeted 

surveillance and response testing for foreign animal diseases. State and 

university laboratories also help develop new test methodologies. 

When a large-scale animal disease outbreak 

occurs, tracking its progress and performing 

diagnostic tests on thousands of biologic 

samples is a big challenge. To get the job done, 

it is very important that all the parties involved—

Federal agencies and laboratories managed by State 

governments and universities—communicate and 

collaborate effectively. The National Animal Health 

Laboratory Network (NAHLN) forms part of a nationwide 

strategy to coordinate the work of all organizations 

providing surveillance and testing services.