Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services (ViTALS) at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) has been a member of the FDA CVM Vet-LIRN laboratory network since 2012. With previous infrastructure funding, ViTALS was able to conduct staff training and expansion of the molecular diagnostics section to comply with the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) requirements for accreditation. ViTALS was granted provisional accreditation in August 2016, and anticipates full accreditation by the end of 2017. The expertise of the faculty and staff along with the highly organized and well established facility have served as an integral component of the network. ViTALS encompasses six units including anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, clinical microbiology, molecular diagnostics, clinical immunology, and clinical parasitology. ViTALS has experience and expertise in running GLP studies and is capable of providing technical skill and support for ongoing surveillance or outbreak testing.
The Vet-LIRN program adds a unique component to FDA investigations and testing programs, by directly examining veterinary diagnostic samples to facilitate early detection of animal food and drug adulteration or contamination. The previous outbreak of Salmonella infantis in humans from commercial pet food, and melamine in dog food as well as infant formula directly highlight the importance of effective screening of animal food and tissues to prevent disease in humans. Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services (ViTALS) is provisionally accredited by the AAVLD and has been a member of the FDA CVM Vet-LIRN community since 2012, and has experience and expertise in testing clinical samples and can provide technical skill and support for ongoing outbreak testing.
