The veterinary diagnostics market plays a key role in companion animal and livestock health, as well as playing an important role in biosurveillance and public health.
Animal diagnostics can aid in the detection of diseases including metabolic disorders, endocrine diseases, cancer, cardiorenal disease among other disorders. In addition, animal health diagnostics are often used to identify infectious diseases, not only for animals but for zoonotic infections that could be transmitted to humans.
In the United States, veterinary diagnostic kits which are used to detect or diagnose microbial pathogens or a patient’s immune status are regulated as biologics, subject to the oversight and purview of the United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). Approval for these veterinary diagnostic kits are managed by the USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics (USDA-CVB). Examples of veterinary diagnostics are point-of-care diagnostics such as those to test for feline leukemia virus, canine parvovirus, canine heartworm, and other viruses, bacteria, parasites and veterinary pathogens.
Veterinary Reference Laboratories
Veterinary reference laboratories are centralized facilities that play a central role in veterinary medicine. These facilities can provide a range of veterinary diagnostic services for the veterinary practitioner as well as industry. Veterinary diagnostic laboratories are not necessarily subject to the same approval requirements as point-of-care diagnostic kits.
Resource Links:
American Association of Laboratory Diagnosticians
National Veterinary Services Laboratories
Veterinary Reference Diagnostic Companies
Several companies providing veterinary reference diagnostic laboratory services: Vetek Labs Idexx Antech
Types of Veterinary Diagnostics
-In house clinical chemistry and blood analysis equipment
-In house infectious disease immunodiagnostics (reagents, assays and test kits)
-Non-infectious disease diagnostic kits and equipment which can be used for analysis of hormones, immune function, and biomarkers.
-Molecular diagnostics kits such as PCR, or genetic analysis for specific hereditary diseases.
-Other testing reagents for use in histology (immuno-histochemistry, staining, etc.).
-Microbiology kits such as growth plates (agars, etc.)
-HPLC, MS, GC, and MALDI-TOF for proteomics and bioanalysis of biological samples (blood, etc.)
Veterinary Diagnostics – Regulations
More information concerning the requirements for licensing a veterinary diagnostic can be found at the USDA-APHIS website (click here).
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