The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences broke ground in December on its $42 million Diagnostic Medicine Center north of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The 90,000-square-foot building, which is scheduled for completion in December 2009, will house the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Clinical Pathology Laboratory, Animal Population Health Institute and the office of the Extension veterinarian.
“This new facility is desperately needed to meet the increasing needs for veterinary diagnostic services for Colorado residents, as well as state and national agencies,” said Dr. Lance Perryman, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “This state-of-the-art building will enable us to increase productivity and provide expert diagnostic testing that could not be conducted outside of specialized laboratory space.”
Diagnostic testing is on the rise because of new animal diseases, zoonotic infections and national security concerns over bioterrorism. The building will provide highly specialized laboratories and space for state-of-the-art equipment to detect these diseases and infectious agents.
The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (D-Lab) and Clinical Pathology Laboratory provide services to pet owners, livestock owners and government agencies including the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The laboratories diagnose and recommend treatments for ill animals in addition to monitoring the health of animals across the state. The D-Lab houses the testing services for avian flu in poultry and wild birds for the entire state. The clinical pathology lab conducts blood, tissue and fluid analysis to identify diseases and illnesses in animals.
The D-Lab is one of seven labs in the nation selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to test for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease.
The Animal Population Health Institute encourages collaboration and information exchange in veterinary epidemiology among scientists at Colorado State, collaborating institutions and government agencies throughout the world. The institute focuses on collaborative, multidisciplinary research to improve the health of animal populations, to prevent and control infectious and other important diseases of animals, and to contribute to national and international animal disease policymaking processes by providing a better understanding of disease epidemiology and pathogenesis.
The University’s Extension veterinarian provides services and education to the state’s animal owners in an effort to protect the health of animals and the economic viability of the state’s animal-driven economy.
