MU Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

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You are here: Home / Under the ‘Scope – Spring 2024

Under the ‘Scope – Spring 2024


Mizzou VMDL Expands Rabies Testing Services

Mizzou VMDL Expands Rabies Testing Services
The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine One Health-Rabies Laboratory is now offering human rabies serology titer testing in addition to animal rabies serology.

The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab is now offering human rabies serology titer testing. The VMDL uses a rapid fluorescent foci inhibition test or RFFIT — a serum neutralization test that measures the ability of rabies specific antibodies to neutralize the rabies virus and prevent it from infecting cells. This identifies an individual’s rabies antibody titer, which is an estimation of an immune response against the rabies virus. These are used to check and monitor immunity from previously acquired rabies vaccinations for people at an elevated risk of rabies exposure.

Occupations that involve working with animals and wildlife, including animal control workers, veterinary professionals, bat biologists and wildlife conservationists, create a higher risk of rabies exposure. People traveling to rabies endemic areas, wildlife rehabilitators, and cavers may also be at an increased risk. Rabies expert Susan Moore, MS, PhD, associate clinical professor, section head of the Mizzou One Health-Rabies Laboratory, says people in these situations should get vaccinated and continue checking their titer.

“The rabies vaccine given for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) primes the immune system such that upon a recognized rabies exposure, the post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is shortened, and no rabies immunoglobulin is required,  creating a quicker and less expensive PEP,” said Moore. “In addition, PrEP may provide some protection from rabies for unrecognized exposures. For those at a particularly high risk of unusual or unrecognized exposure, rabies titer testing is recommended to assure a level of circulating rabies neutralizing antibodies is present.” Read more


CVM’s Col. Gull Works to Improve Army Equine Standards During Deployment

CVM’s Col. Gull Works to Improve Army Equine Standards During Deployment

Tamara Gull, DVM, PhD, first joined the United States military in 1988. Fresh out of college, Gull became an active-duty member of the Navy, serving as a pilot for five years. During that time, it became evident to her that her military career path was not headed in a direction she wanted. She left the service to enroll at Tufts University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating from veterinary school and completing an internship, she began a residency.

“Once I was in my residency for about a year, it occurred to me that I could still do some military service, but I wanted it to be more in line with my current profession,” said Gull. “I was inactive Navy Reserve at the time but approached the Army about switching services. I officially joined the Army in 2000 and have been with them ever since.”

Gull, who works as an associate clinical professor in veterinary pathobiology at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and as section head for bacteriology and mycology in the MU Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, is a colonel in the Army Veterinary Corps.

“As a reservist, I’m known as a DIMA or Drilling Individual Mobilization Augmentee,” she said. “Typical reservists do one weekend a month, two weeks a year, drilling with a Reserve unit, but DIMAs don’t do that. We are assigned as backfill to an active-duty unit, and more specifically as backfill to a specific person in an active-duty unit. I am assigned as backfill to Public Health Command, West in San Antonio, as a substitute for their commander.”

While serving as a DIMA, Gull can be called to serve for long or short stints at the discretion of the individual for whom she backfills. However, she says that it is not common. “Since it doesn’t happen that often, it essentially makes me an asset for that unit to assign to special projects,” said Gull. “One of the things I’ve been doing over the past several years is serving at the Army’s food and diagnostic laboratory that belongs to Public Health Command, West. I’m a microbiologist, so I spend a lot of my active-duty time working there.” Read more


MU VMDL One Health/Rabies Lab Expanding Export Testing Services

The OHL is expanding its pet export testing services to destinations such as Israel, Turkey, and other countries requiring  FAVN testing be performed at an EU-approved laboratory, Non-EU Countries – European Commission (europa.eu).  To find your destination country requirements check out the USDA APHIS website.


UNDER THE SCOPE – SPRING 2024

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Message from the Director

The University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) is a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory and Missouri’s only laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The VMDL is a Level I Lab of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, Tier I Lab of the FDA Veterinary Laboratory Response Network, and a National Poultry Improvement Plan authorized lab. The VMDL maintains an effective quality assurance and quality control program.

The VMDL has formal anatomical pathology, clinical pathology, and clinical microbiology training programs. The VMDL faculty hold academic appointments in the Departments of Veterinary Pathobiology and Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. The director is administratively responsible to the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine for the overall operation of the laboratory and its multiple missions of public service, teaching, research and continuing education/extension.

The VMDL faculty and staff work diligently to provide relevant, timely and cost-effective diagnostic services to our clients and to create a positive learning environment for our students and residents. In 2024, veterinarians, animal owners and researchers from 103 Missouri counties and cities, as well as from 51 states and provinces outside Missouri, continued to rely on the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory’s (VMDL) diagnostic services. The lab performed approximately 63,500 total cases and conducted nearly 204,500 tests.

About the MU VMDL

The VMDL is a full-service laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD). The VMDL provides in-depth laboratory diagnostic support to veterinary practitioners, livestock and poultry industry interests, companion animal interests, wildlife conservationists, scientists utilizing animals in their research throughout the university, state and regulatory officials, and clinicians of the MU Veterinary Health Center.

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Columbia, MO 65211

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