Animal Health Laboratories

2230 Old Penitentiary Road   Phone: 208-332-8570
P.O. Box 7249   Fax: 208-334-4619
Boise, ID 83712    

Open Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Idaho Department of Agriculture Animal Health Laboratory is a multi-faceted laboratory network with the main emphasis of conducting Regulatory and Certification testing of animals and animal products, as well as, the diagnosis and control of animal diseases. The laboratory provides support services for the Division of Animal Industries and provides training in a variety of testing techniques and procedures. The Animal Health Laboratory oversees a number of state and federal programs including the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), the Salmonella Enteritidis Monitoring Program, the Johne's Program, and the Trichomoniasis Certification and Proficiency Testing Program. The laboratory provides support and consultation services to a variety of other public and private agencies, including the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Health and Welfare, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and the World Center for Birds of Prey. The Animal Health Laboratory is a regional testing center for a number of states in the western United States and participates on a federal task force for the control and eradication of foreign animal diseases.

The laboratory complex consists of a number of individual, self-contained laboratory units with dedicated and defined purposes, and a variety of specific tests or types of testing performed therein. A brief description of each laboratory section follows:

Market Cattle Inspection Laboratory (MCI):
(Federal & State Cooperative Program)

This laboratory collects blood samples and identifications from all animals in the state of Idaho that go through meat processing plants for food purposes. The blood samples are sorted, the identifications computerized and the blood samples are tested for the requested Brucellosis diseases.

Brucellosis Eradication Laboratory:
(Federal & State Cooperative Program)

This is a federal laboratory dedicated to the control and eradication of brucellosis in the United States. Every animal in the state of Idaho that is sold, slaughtered or exported/imported is brucellosis tested.

Serology Laboratory:

This laboratory tests animal serum samples for a great variety of diseases in preparation for live animals being exported/imported throughout the world or for diagnostic reasons. The serology lab performs testing requirements for fairs, shows, sales, horse races, breeding, etc. Testing wildlife in cooperation with the Idaho Fish and Game is, also, conducted in this lab.

Parasitology Laboratory:

This laboratory is mainly concerned with parasite identification and eradication. Numerous internal, external and blood-born parasites are identified in this laboratory.

Virology Laboratory:

The virology laboratory performs numerous tests to determine the presence of viral diseases in animals. To do this, live cultures of virus are maintained, propagated and challenge tested.

West Nile Virus Laboratory:

This laboratory was set up especially for testing horse serum for the West Nile Virus. The state of Idaho found its first positive horse in 2004.

PCR Laboratory:

This laboratory offers Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing which is highly specific for diseases for which PCR assays have been developed. PCR testing for Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus I and II; Trichomoniasis foetus (for positisve confirmation only); JOHNE's direct PCR testing for the detection of Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) DNA in bovine feces; and JOHNE's pooled fecal PCR test is now available with more disease assays to be added in the future.

Diagnostic Bacteriology Laboratory:

One of the functions of this laboratory is to identify what bacterial agent is causing the disease and what antibiotics will work best against the bacteria. Another function is to identify the presence or absence of a particular bacterial pathogen in a sample.

Rabies Laboratory:

In cooperation with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Bureau of Laboratories, brain tissues are removed from animal heads and the carcasses are disposed of. The tissues are released to the Bureau of Laboratories for rabies testing. No whole bodies over 20lbs will be accepted. No whole SKUNK bodies will be accepted.

Trichomoniasis Laboratory:

The trichomoniasis laboratory provides trichomoniasis culturing services for cattle producers throughout the state of Idaho and many surrounding states. The laboratory produces and distributes trichomoniasis culture media and is the state reference laboratory for trichomoniasis organism identification and test verification. The trichomoniasis laboratory provides training and certification to veterinarians, veterinary clinics and laboratories throughout the state that conduct trichomoniasis culturing and testing at the local level.

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