Abstract

Established in 2010, the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN) coordinates with the United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Imports Complaint Emergency Recall Team (ICERT) to evaluate potential adverse event cases involving CVM-regulated animal foods and animal drugs. Subsequently, Vet-LIRN coordinates the resources and expertise of 34 veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the United States and Canada, including the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) New Bolton Center Laboratory, to further investigate select cases through diagnostic testing and analysis. Activities conducted during 2013 included proficiency testing, case investigations, collaborative projects with the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN), and cooperative agreements to evaluate Salmonella in pet foods and expand and validate testing methods for food contaminants in animal diagnostic specimens. These activities promote human and animal health by providing scientific information, building laboratory capacity, and training scientists. In 2013 Vet-LIRN also became a member of the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN) for the purpose of increasing connectivity and collaboration with other laboratory networks accountable for providing timely, credible, and interpretable data in support of surveillance, early detection, and consequence management of events requiring an integrated national laboratory response.

* Presenting author