News

VDL Granted Full Accreditation (10/05/09)

The U of M Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) System, made up of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory, was recently granted full accreditation for five years by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The VDL needs to maintain full accreditation in order to conduct official testing. Without an accredited laboratory system in Minnesota, all official tests would have to be sent out of state, resulting in increased testing costs and a delay in obtaining test results.

Dean Ames Thanks Supporters of VDL Appropriations Bill (9/8/09)

Trevor Ames, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, offers this letter of thanks to all supporters of bill HF 839/SF 754.

Update - Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Legislative Funding (6/5/09)

The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory recently received a federally funded appropriation of $377,190 for laboratory equipment for the BSL-3 facility in 2009, thanks to a request from Representative Betty McCollum.

Minnesota's Higher Education Committee authorized money for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) as part of the University of Minnesota’s operations and maintenance budget. The final amount is undetermined at this time pending finalization of the budget by the governor. Many commodity groups and organizations testified on behalf of this legislation and helped advocate for this much-needed funding to meet the VDL’s accreditation mandates.

Related Links:

• University of Minnesota Legislative Updates: http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/govrel/updates.html
• University of Minnesota Legislative Network: http://www1.umn.edu/groots/index.php
• CVM legislative Initiatives: http://www.cvm.umn.edu/about/legislature/index.htm

Bill Would Provide $1.25 Million for VDL (4/10/09)

On March 25, Dean Trevor Ames and Dr. Jim Collins, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), testified before members of the Agriculture, Rural Economics, and Veterans Affairs Finance Committee regarding a legislative bill (HR 839) that would provide $1.25 million in funding to assist the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in meeting accreditation mandates as well as provide disease surveillance and diagnostic services.

Members of the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council, Minnesota Pork Producers, Minnesota Turkey Grower’s Association, and Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association testified in support of the bill. Jerry Schoenfield of the Minnesota Pork Producers noted that “the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is important to livestock agriculture and Minnesota’s producers.”

For information on the bill, and to view the testimony, see:

• https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H0839.0.html&session=ls86
• http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/archivesCOMM.asp?comm=86107&ls_year=86 

Increased Funding Sought for VDL (3/9/09)

Legislative bills (SF 754 and HR 839) have been introduced to increase state funding (through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture) to support critical services delivered by the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL). With issues such as bovine tuberculosis and avian influenza threatening the agricultural economy, introduction of diseases in freshwater fish and other food-safety concerns, the VDL is at the forefront of surveillance efforts. On March 5, Dean Trevor Ames and Dr. Jim Collins, VDL director, testified before the Senate Agriculture and Finance Committee. Senator Sharon L. Erickson Ropes noted “the VDL is a perfect example of a well-run research enterprise, and it needs to be funded . . . it must be strengthened to be prepared and ready to respond.”

For more information about the VDL's surveillance and emergency response efforts, and its plans for the increased funding, see:

• VDL Surveillance and Emergency Response
• VDL Funding Information Sheet

VIP's Tour VDL (1/28/09)

On January 13, the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) hosted a group of legislators from the Minnesota Senate Committee on Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, including Jim Vickerman (chair), Sharon Erickson Ropes (vice chair), Steve Dille, Satveer Chaudhary, Joe Gimse, David Hann, Bill Ingebrigtsen, Paul Koering, Gary Kubly, Keith Langseth, Tony Laurey, Steve Murphy, Rod Skoe, and Dan Skogen. In addition, many legislative aides accompanied their senator.

Dean Trevor Ames kicked off the tour, accompanied by Dean Al Levine of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences, Dean Bev Durgan of University of Minnesota Extension Service, Regent Patricia Simmons, and staff members John Byrnes, program director, U of M Extension, Sharon Staton, director of advancement, and Jan Williams, government relations liaison. The tour was lead by Dr. Jim Collins, VDL director, with faculty and staff members Marie Gramer, Ron Joki, Nick Phelps, Rob Porter, Kurt Rossow, Jeremy Schefers, Jerry Torrison, and Andre Ziegler participating in the delivery of information in a hands-on-environment. D.V.M. students were on hand to discuss the importance of veterinary medical education.

On January 16, Class V of the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) Program toured the VDL (see photo). Members of this leadership academy included 32 people from across the state who will serve as leaders and ambassadors in agriculture. The same team of CVM faculty and staff participated in this tour, accompanied by Extension program leader Michael Liepold and MARL executive director Tim Alcorn.

Newly elected Minnesota State Representative Paul Torkelson was a graduate of this two-year leadership program. “Paul’s passion for agriculture will serve Minnesota’s animal agriculture well as he participates in the legislature,” comments Jan Williams, government relations liaison.  For more information on the MARL program, go to www.marlprogram.org.
 

USDA Approves Minnesota's Split-state Status for Bovine TB (10/20/08)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted Minnesota's application for split state status in regard to bovine TB. A small section of the northwestern part of the state will remain "modified accredited: while the greater part of the state will return to "modified accredited advanced" status. This comes after Minnesota had been downgraded to modified accredited earlier this year when a number of herds were detected with TB. The move has been welcomed by the industry and will reduce expenses and movement restrictions. For details, visit:

• http://www.bah.state.mn.us/tb/releases/tbnr2008-10-09.html
• www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2008/04/mn_bovine_findings.shtml

VDL Diagnoses Tularemia in Cat (10/20/08)

On October 10, an indoor/outdoor cat from Hopkins tested positive for tularemia at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, with confirmation at the Minnesota Department of Health. Tularemia, a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, is highly infectious. The cat had presented to Shady Oak Veterinary Clinic on October 3 with a temperature of 106F, severe necrotizing ulcerations of the tongue and palate, lymphadenopathy, dehydration, and lethargy. A second cat from the same household with similar clinical signs had died approximately three weeks earlier. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has asked veterinarians throughout the state to be alert for cases of tularemia in cats, dogs, other domestic animals and wild animals, and take appropriate precautions (such as wearing gloves) when handling suspect cases. For more information, call Dr. Jeff Bender at 612-625-6203 or Dr. Joni Scheftel at the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-5414. 

VDL featured on "Minnesota Bound" (9/14/08)

In a segment on the September 14th episode of "Ron Schara's Minnesota Bound", VDL scientist Nick Phelps discusses VDL's role in testing for Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in Minnesota fish.
Click here to view the video.

VDL Now Offering Testing for Canine Exercise Induced Collapse (7/28/08)

Click here for more information on how to submit samples for this test.

Related articles (9/23/08):

• WCCO
• The Times of London

VDL Receives USDA Funding for Classical Swine Fever Surveillance Testing (6/05/08)

The Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) received funding from the USDA for surveillance of swine diagnostic case submissions for Classical Swine Fever (CSF) as part of a national surveillance program. Case submissions that meet case criteria and include appropriate samples will be eligible for CSF testing by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the VDL Molecular Diagnostics Lab. A $50 credit will be applied against the diagnostic case for samples that are tested for CSF to help cover sample collection and submission costs. More information on the surveillance program is available on the "Got Tonsil" brochure. The program runs through to the end of 2008 with possible renewal. Contact: Dr. Jerry Torrison, 612 624-9778; torri001@umn.edu.

VDL to Track Emerging Threat to Minnesota Fish (5/15/08)

Articles in UMNnews and Minnesota Daily

USDA Officially Downgrades Minnesota's Bovine TB Status (4/15/08)

On April 9, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it had officially downgraded Minnesota’s bovine tuberculosis (TB) status from Modified Accredited Advanced to Modified Accredited. The drop in status, required by the USDA Code of Federal Regulations, follows the discovery of four additional infected herds within the last 12 months and will require Minnesota cattle producers to conduct additional testing when shipping animals out of state. More information is available on the Minnesota Board of Animal Health website.

UPDATE: USDA Approves Minnesota's Split-state Status for Bovine TB (10/20/08)

Ribbon Cut for New Biosafety Level 3 Necropsy Facility (1/10/08)

A standing-room-only crowd packed 280 Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory on Jan. 10 for a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the VDL's new BSL-3 necropsy facility. The $2.44 million project will help the state immediately respond to outbreaks of diseases that could potentially spread from animals to people -- including the highly lethal form of bird flu, should it ever hit here.

Speakers at the event included Dr. Trevor Ames, interim dean; Dr. Frank Cerra, senior vice president of health sciences; Dr. Jim Collins, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; Senator Steve Dille; Dr. Bill Hartmann, state veterinarian and director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health; Rep. Alice Hausman and Gene Hugoson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

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