Source: MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
NAHLN-KY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0230234
Grant No.
2012-37620-19949
Cumulative Award Amt.
$171,000.00
Proposal No.
2012-03351
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Aug 15, 2012
Project End Date
Aug 14, 2016
Grant Year
2015
Program Code
[AA-G]- Homeland Security
Recipient Organization
MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
MURRAY,KY 42071
Performing Department
Breathitt Veterinary Center
Non Technical Summary
Agriculture ranks as Kentucky number one industry, contributing $5 billion to the states economy each year. Livestock and livestock product sales generate 65% of the total agriculture revenues. The Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center (BVC) is a nationally preeminent animal disease diagnostic laboratory dedicated to protecting the invaluable assets of Kentuckys equine, livestock and poultry industries by providing the fastest, most accurate and most dependable animal disease diagnostic services possible. The BVC, with a staff of 45 employees, is housed in a 40,000 sq. ft. facility located on 15 acres of land in Hopkinsville, KY. The facility is centrally located to serve a 200 mile radius including Western Kentucky, Southern Indiana and Illinois and Northwestern Tennessee. The BVC has an annual operating budget of $3.5 million dollars. The Breathitt Veterinary Centers staff includes nine individuals with Doctorates in Veterinary Medicine and/or Masters and PhD degrees in the fields of pathology, microbiology, virology, immunology, toxicology and public health. Laboratory bench personnel have a minimum of a bachelors degree and many hold or are pursuing masters degrees in their field of expertise. The laboratory facility is equipped with state of the art instrumentation including a gas chromatograph/mass spectrophotometer, a liquid chromatography/mass spectrophotometer, high throughput DNA/RNA analysis equipment, transmission electron microscope and capability for bacterial and viral isolation and identification. The laboratory holds full accreditation for all animal species from the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The BVC is a member laboratory in the USDA National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) and the CDC Laboratory Response Network (LRN). The laboratory provides pathogen identification for high impact animal diseases and bioterrorism agents. As a NAHLN laboratory, the BVC is certified for Avian Influenza, Swine Influenza, Equine Piroplasmosis, Exotic New Castle Disease, Foot and Mouth Disease and Classical Swine Fever. The BVC provides AI surveillance for the Kentucky poultry industry, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the USDA Wildlife Services. Due to its strategic location relative to Kentucky poultry industry and migratory waterfowl flyways, the BVC was a recipient laboratory for high-throughput DNA/RNA equipment provided by the USDA-APHIS. In addition, the BVC provides Classical Swine Fever surveillance testing on slaughter samples from Illinois and Equine Piroplasmosis testing to the entire country. The BVC hosted a NAHLN three-state, FMD tabletop exercise in August, 2010. USDA NIFA funding is critical for the BVC to meet the objectives of the NAHLN. This funding proposal addresses the NAHLN objectives of Quality Management and Information Technology.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
3113910110025%
3113910110125%
3113910116025%
3113910117025%
Knowledge Area
311 - Animal Diseases;

Subject Of Investigation
3910 - Cross-commodity research--multiple animal species;

Field Of Science
1101 - Virology; 1160 - Pathology; 1100 - Bacteriology; 1170 - Epidemiology;
Goals / Objectives
The Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center (BVC) is a member laboratory of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN). The BVC is certified for Avian Influenza, Swine Influenza, Equine Piroplasmosis, Exotic Newcastle Disease, Foot and Mouth Disease and Classical Swine Fever. The BVC currently provides Avian Influenza surveillance for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky poultry industry. The BVC performs Equine Piroplasmosis tests for the entire country. The BVC hosted a regional, three-state, Foot and Mouth Disease tabletop exercise in August, 2010. USDA NIFA funding is critical to meeting NALHN goals and objectives and supporting the BVC's participation in NAHLN activities. Funds in the FY 2012 cooperative agreement will be used to support Quality Management and Information Technology.
Project Methods
Grant funds will be used to support the Quality Management System as it impacts NAHLN surveillance testing. Funds allocated for the Quality Management system will be used to support equipment and software maintenance contracts. The BVC is equipped with six SmartCyclers and one controller laptop used for Avian Influenza, Swine Influenza, New Castle Disease, Foot and Mouth Disease and Classical Swine Fever surveillance testing. Two SmartCycler blocks will be submitted for factory preventative maintenance to ensure accuracy of test results. Software maintenance contracts will ensure that SmartCycler interfaces with the Laboratory Informational Maintenance System (LIMS) remain operational. Funds allocated to Information Technology will provide new computer workstations and laptop computers to replace obsolete units. The current LIMS and associated software programs demand high speed computer platforms and large amounts of random access memory to function adequately. The laptop computers will be equipped with Virtual Private Network (VPN) software integrated with the laboratory firewall that will allow employees full access to laboratory servers and LIMS when travelling or conducting field investigations.

Progress 08/15/12 to 08/14/16

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this funding is the veterinarians who utilize the Breathitt Veterinary Center (BVC) for diagnostics. Funding has been utilized in the following ways: 1.Network Support.It is critical to the efficiency of both the BVC and the veterinarians who utilize our services that the computer systems be up to date anddeliver speedy and correct results. In addition, a new firewall was installed for the protection of our customers. 2.New Computers.The BVC staff need up to date computer workstations, new equipment requires additional workstations. New hardware must be purchased frequently. 3.Software Support and Training-Computer Aid Inc., the producers of the LIMS software at the BVC offers onsite training and updates to the software utilized daily by BVC staff to report test results to veterinarians. 4.Equipment- Purchase was made of a new embedding workstation to support diagnostics and enhance capacity of diagnostics. 5. Travel- Staff members traveled to training for Quality Assurance Training and Safety Training. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The USALIMS usergroup is a meeting of all labs that utilize the CAI USALIMS software program. During the meeting, there is open discussion about ideas for upgrades to the software, items that labs would like to see added to the software and problems labs are seeing in day to day use. It is an interactive session and very valuable to both the company and the labs. The staff from different labs also meet their counterparts at all labs and this offers another method of networking that can be very valuable to all involved.? How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In the conventional sense, results aren't disseminated, however, clients reap the benefitsevery single day. Upgrades to the network and new computers provide increased convenience, speed, accuracy and privacy protection to the client. New equipment increases the capacity of the laboratory to provide rapid, accurate results. Quality Training for staff increases the awareness of the necessity for following the proper protocols. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? New Computers.The BVC staff need up to date computer workstations, new equipment requires additional workstations. New hardware must be purchased frequently. Our customers, veterinarians all over the country, utilize the most upto date hardware and expect the same from the BVC.

Publications


    Progress 08/15/14 to 08/14/15

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience for the efforts during this reporting period are the clients of the Breathitt Veterinary Center, who are Federal and State Livestock Regulatory Officials, Livestock and Poultry Commodity Groups and Livestock and Poultry Producers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the next grant period, plans are to purchase new servers for the BVC as well as network maintenance. The BVC is also planning to improve the backup and restoration systems for the entire network.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Grant funds were utilized to purchase computer equipment and to pay for network consultant services. The consultant services do maintenance of the network and also updates for the system.

    Publications


      Progress 08/15/13 to 08/14/14

      Outputs
      Target Audience: Target audiences for the efforts of this project include Federal and State Livestock Regulatory Officials, Livestock and Poultry Commodity Groups, and Livestock and Poultry Producers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Grant award funds in the next reporting period will be used for SmartCycler maintenance, to improve data backup systems, replace computer workstations, and IT network and server maintenance and upgrades.

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? Grant funds were applied to the Quality Management and Information Technology Systems. Over the course of the performance period, SmartCycler maintenance contracts to ensure the accuracy of instruments used in NAHLN testing were secured. Information Technology was advanced through IT network and server array updates.

      Publications


        Progress 08/15/12 to 08/14/13

        Outputs
        Target Audience: Target audiences for the efforts of this project include Federal and State Livestock Regulatory Officials, Livestock and Poultry Commodity Groups, and Livestock and Poultry Producers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

        Impacts
        What was accomplished under these goals? The National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) desired to expand the national laboratory capacity for animal disease surveillance and diagnostics. The NAHLN provided funding to member laboratories to enhance laboratory operations within the objectives of quality management, staff training, information management, sample processing and handling, interlaboratory activities, and other related activities. Grant funds were utilized to ensure a state of readiness to meet NAHLN expectations of a member laboratory laboratory. Instrument maintenance contracts and factory calibrations ensure the validity of test results in quality management. Firewall upgrades increased the level of network cybersecurity. New computer workstations ensure an adequate number of workstations for professional, technical, and clerical staff. Enhancements to Information Technology provided infrastructure to support the LIMS system, NAHLN messaging, and electronic reporting of laboratory results. Over the course of the performance period, the Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center (BVC) participated in NAHLN surveillance programs for Classical Swine Fever, Avian Influenza, and Equine Piroplasmosis. In addition, the BVC is certified to perform surveillance and diagnostic testing for Exotic Newcastle Disease, Foot and Mouth Disease, and Swine Influenza. The final outcome of the grant performance period is that the BVC stands in readiness to participate in NAHLN animal disease surveillance and diagnostic programs.

        Publications