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On any given day at the two laboratories that comprise the Georgia Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System, about 65 scientists and technicians test viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxins and other disease-causing agents — largely as diagnostic support for veterinarians and pet owners.

However, an important spin-off of the laboratories’ mission is to keep watch over diseases that have public health implications.

The Athens facility and its sister facility in Tifton — the only two labs in Georgia that evaluate animals from USDA for mad cow disease — together form one of the five core labs in a nationwide network to help the USDA respond in the event of a widespread outbreak of an exotic animal disease. The laboratories also participate in the CDC’s national surveillance program for West Nile virus in animals.

Keith W. Prasse, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, calls the laboratories “a principal part of our defense against common diseases of domestic animals, as well as those foreign to our state, such as foot-and-mouth disease.”

Last year the laboratories received 105,942 requests for help and ran almost 325,000 tests. Testing is done on specimens from companion animals, farm and food animals, and occasionally wildlife and exotic species. The majority of specimens come from horses, dogs, cats, cows and pigs.

Diagnosing and preventing disease, determining cause of death, and advancing research are the services the laboratory staff provides. Clientele include veterinarians, farmers and pet owners as well as UGA scientists and regulatory officials. In fact, about half the veterinary specimens in the state are sent to the labs, which last year received specimens from all of Georgia’s 159 counties.

Veterinarians on the Athens staff are actively involved in research projects and in teaching about 17 courses at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

For more information, e-mail Dot Sparer at dsparer@vet.uga.edu

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