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Oregon State U Vet Lab Part of National Consortium

The focus of the consortium is diseases which can have major impact on the nation's public health and food supply.

The NAHLN is a cooperative effort between two agencies with the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.  These agencies established the network through the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.

The OSU facility is part of a group of approved labs focusing on select diseases, using standardized testing and computer software enabling rapid and secure sharing of information.

As a result, they comprise a comprehensive and coordinated network of federal and state labs providing surveillance and monitoring for animal diseases, including foot and mouth disease, avian influenza and West Nile virus that also are major public health concerns.

The network of labs is able to respond quickly to a disease outbreak anywhere in the U.S. with facilities, equipment and trained personnel.

"Testing and performance standards established by USDA are quite rigid, and it's a credit to our staff that we are part of the network," says Jerry Heidel, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine director. "Our NAHLN diagnosticians have received extensive training in the diagnostic methods used to identify these diseases and take part in periodic proficiency testing by USDA."

Goals of the network include:

• Protecting human health by decreasing the risk of zoonotic diseases
• Protecting animal health to decrease environmental risk and negative economic impact to producers.
• Protecting the health of domestic and wild animals by lessening the risk of disease transmission between livestock and wildlife.
• Increasing consumer confidence in the nation's food supply.
• Maintaining confidence and positive relationships among global trading partners.