Welcome to the annual report of the Purdue/Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for fiscal year 2007.  The year has been productive and busy, we have seen several changes in the laboratory but the mission of the laboratory to provide accurate and prompt diagnostic veterinary diagnostic services to the animal owners of Indiana remains the same.

In June of 2006, our faculty was joined by Dr. Steve Lenz.  Dr. Lenz received the DVM degree from Purdue in ’81, he was in private veterinary practice for a number of years, he returned to Purdue in the anatomic pathology graduate program and received the PhD degree in veterinary pathology in ’91.  He became boarded by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in ’92.  Since receiving the PhD degree, Dr. Lenz has been a faculty member pathologist of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University.  Dr. Lenz is a welcome addition to the ADDL faculty with joint tenure track appointment in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Following a national search and interviews of 4 candidates, Dr. Pat Wakenell was offered a position of avian diagnostician in the ADDL with shared appointment in the School of Veterinary Medicine Department of Comparative Pathobiology.  Because of previous obligations and commitments, Dr. Wakenell is expected to occupy the position in September ’08.  Dr. Wakenell is immediate past president of the American Association of Avian Pathologists.  We look forward to her joining the ADDL faculty.

On the last day of February, ’07, Dr. Robert Everson retired from his position as head chemist of the ADDL toxicology section.  During his tenure at ADDL, Dr. Everson held several positions in the Laboratory including Chief of Computer services ’81 to ’86, editor of the ADDL annual report ’81 to ’87, Laboratory Safety Chairman and most recently ADDL Quality Manager ’00 through ’06.  Dr. Christy Wilson, who recently completed requirements for the PhD degree under the direction of Dr. Hooser has taken the job of head chemist which Dr. Everson held from 1975 to 2007.

In August ’06, a renovation of the mammalian and avian necropsy rooms was completed to enhance the biosecurity of the areas.  This is the first renovation of the ADDL West Lafayette building since its completed construction in 1991.  With the new renovation, access to the avian necropsy and the BSL-2 cabinet in the avian room is restricted to entrance from the mammalian necropsy room requiring entry through locker rooms and use of the entry boot baths.

With the assistance of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, a carcass/tissue incinerator was installed at the Southern Indiana Heeke laboratory.  This incineration means of carcass and animal tissue disposal has been needed at the laboratory for a long time.  A machine was installed at the West Lafayette laboratory  to recycle/reclaim formalin so that the volume of formalin used in the laboratory and received at the laboratory with specimens submitted can be reused as opposed to disposal.  This is beneficial to the environment as well as reducing the cost of purchasing formalin.

During the deer hunting season of ’06, the ADDL ran immunohistochemistry tests on lymph node and obex sections of 1318 Indiana hunter killed white tail deer for chronic wasting disease, these tests were in addition to tests of all captive deer and elk that died on premises during the year.  All samples were found to be ‘no resistant prions detected’.  This is the sixth year of testing Indiana deer for CWD, so far, no evidence of CWD has been found in the Indiana population.  In addition to the CWD testing of the ’06 hunting season killed deer, samples from 746 deer were tested for bovine virus diarrhea virus.  Only 2 samples were found to be positive.  That the number of infections found was low is good but it points out the fact that the deer population must be considered in any BVD eradication program that might be initiated in the State.  In concert with the IHC testing for CWD in deer and elk, the ADDL ran IHC tests for scrapie of sheep and goats as part of a national surveillance program for the disease.  During the year, approximately 10,000 IHC tests were conducted in support of this program.

In addition to the ADDL support of the national and state surveillance programs for scrapie and CWD, all swine submitted to ADDL during FY ’07 were tested by the PCR method for classical swine fever as part of a national CSF surveillance program.  PCR testing was also performed on 1200 bird samples collected in Indiana for avian influenza as Indiana’s contribution to another national AI surveillance program.  Testing of bird samples from Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee were also conducted in support of this program. 

During the horse racing seasons of the two Indiana horse racing tracks, all horses that died or were euthanized while on the track grounds were examined by necropsy and appropriately indicated follow-up tests at ADDL to identify cause of death or health disorder of the horses and to check urine samples for presence of administration of unauthorized drug or compound administration.  Most horses examined had broken bones, detection of illegal activity among the horses examined was infrequent.

ADDL conducted tests for administration of unauthorized drugs/compounds to animals from the Indiana State Fair during the ’06 and ’07 fairs.  Champions and reserve champion animals of beef, dairy, sheep, swine, goats, rabbits and poultry along with other randomly selected animals of these groups and randomly selected show horses were tested.  Positive tests among those run were of low incidence. 

The ADDL continued to support the programs and efforts of the Indiana Board of Animal Health with histologic, bacteriologic, virologic, necropsy and serology services.  The state Johne’s disease surveillance program brought 3,264 samples for fecal culture and 8,278 samples for serology testing.

Dr. Roman Pogranichniy has identified a new disease agent of swine believed to be a non-classical swine fever pesti virus.  This agent is thought to have been cause of major mortalities of near market weight swine on several farms in recent years.   Dr. Pogranichniy, Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Lenz have research projects under way to evaluate the pathogenicity of this agent as well as possible synergism of the agent with porcine circovirus in producing disease in swine.

The section leader, Dr. Ramesh Vemulapalli and Cecilia Santrich completed proficiency tests in the molecular diagnostics section for avian influenza, classical swine fever, foot and mouth disease and Newcastle disease with 100%accuracy.  In the serology laboratory section, Cheryl Parker, Brenda Turner and Alice Hardebeck had 100% accuracy with their results of serology proficiency tests for Johne’s disease, brucellosis, anaplasmosis, pseudorabies, equine infectious anemia, bluetongue, bovine leukosis and vesicular stomatitis.  We are well pleased with the accuracy demonstrated by ADDL personnel in performing with distinction in conducting proficiency tests sent to us by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory. 

The FY ’07 activities compared to those of FY ’06 of the West Lafayette Laboratory: total accessions down one half of one percent to 28,685; avian examinations including serology up 2% to 28,242; bacteriology down 9% to 26,595; histopathology slides up 5% to 50,715; molecular diagnostics tests up 91% to 4,525; mammalian necropsies up 5% to 1,363; mammalian serology down 9% to 101,034; toxicology tests up 2% to 4,074.  Changes at the Southern Indiana Heeke Laboratory included accessions up 16% to 2,008; examinations up 10% to 30,497; avian serology up 2% to 18,230; bacteriology exams up 24% to 7,562; avian necropsies up 21% to 3,826; and mammalian necropsies up 14% to 545. 

Lastly, funding was approved by the ’07 Indiana Legislative Session to construct a high security Biosafety Level-3 building near the back of the present ADDL building.  Planning and construction of the building is expected to move forward as soon as possible.

Fiscal year 2007 was a busy and productive one in ADDL.  We are blessed to have a dedicated and accomplished faculty and staff to provide these services to the animal owners of Indiana and in lesser volume to other state’s submitters.