Both the Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Lab are now registered to conduct assays on human samples and support SARS-CoV-2 testing.
Where the labs were previously registered to accept and perform diagnostic assays on animal tissues and cultures, this new registration grants them the ability to accept human samples from testing sites around the country. As this virus continues to impact people around the world, the two labs hope to lessen the burden on other laboratories and provide critical support in processing the samples collected from testing sites.
“This is great for the diagnostic labs because it is a way that we can help our local communities and our state during the COVID pandemic,” explains Jesse Hostetter, executive director of the diagnostic labs and head of the pathology department at the College of Veterinary Medicine. “This truly is an example of One Health in action!” One Health is a term coined to describe the connection between care for animals, humans, and the ecosystem.
