Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Lab Receives Accreditation
Logan — The Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Utah State University received accreditation from the American Association of Veterinarians Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) in March 2010. The State of Utah now has a cutting-edge, accredited, veterinary diagnostic laboratory capable of testing for both endemic and foreign animal diseases that threaten both animal and human populations. Testing performed is accepted nationally and internationally, permitting expanded movement of livestock from the Intermountain West.
“Accreditation is critical,” said Dr. Thomas Baldwin, Director of the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. “It assures laboratory users that an in-depth quality system is in place to ensure that all tests and procedures performed are state-of-the-art, timely, accurate, repeatable and validated.”
The Logan lab is one of two labs operated as a cooperative effort between the UDAF, (disease diagnostics and disease surveillance) and USU, (research).
"This as a great benefit to the livestock producers of the state where diseases can be identified and stopped before they spread,” said Dr. Bruce King, State Veterinarian and Terry Menlove, Director of Animal Industry Division. This accreditation will also benefit the livestock producers as they move animals through out the country and internationally.
Users of the laboratory include veterinarians, animal owners, and state and federal agriculture and wildlife disease regulatory personnel. UVDL offers laboratory-based assays in veterinary bacteriology, molecular diagnostics, parasitology, pathology, serology and toxicology. In addition, the UVDL houses expertise otherwise unavailable to Utah citizens: faculty members are board certified in their areas of expertise, including pathology, toxicology and epidemiology. In the U.S. there are 33 accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Before accreditation of the UVDL, closest accredited laboratories were in Colorado, Arizona, Washington, and California.
For more information about the UVDL please visit their web site http://www.usu.edu/uvdl.
posted: march 2010