We would be remiss if we did not address the current pandemic in which we, and the rest of the world, find ourselves. Experts at the MSU VDL have been monitoring SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans, since late January 2020.

The MSU VDL has been following guidance from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) related to testing animals for SARSCoV-2. Currently, the USDA, CDC, AVMA, and American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians do not recommend routine testing of animals. In some instances, testing may be initiated by state or local public health agencies out of an abundance of caution.

When Michigan’s governor issued an executive order in late March and MSU VDL operations were impacted by necessary changes to staffing that affected test schedules, we posted that information to our website and reached out to clients by email, fax, and phone. At this time, we are still asking clients to send only samples for which diagnostics will play a critical role in the treatment and/or management of a patient. All samples received will be processed but clients should expect a delay in turnaround time. Please continue to check animalhealth.msu.edu for the most up-to-date information about impacts to laboratory operations.

Links to resources from the AVMA, CDC, WHO, OIE, and USDA are also available on our website.

We know everyone is affected by this in some way. We hope that you, your teams, and your families are safe and well.