Contact: Willie Reed, Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, (517) 353-0635, reedw@msu.edu; or Tom Oswald, University Relations, (517) 355-2281, oswald@msu.edu
9/30/2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. � The newly built Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (DCPAH), a 152,000-gross-square-foot facility located on the Michigan State University campus, is now ready to serve as a front-line sentry, protecting both humans and animals from an array of diseases ranging from rabies to West Nile virus to bovine tuberculosis.
With its formal dedication today, this futuristic facility brings together 10 MSU labs that make up the state of Michigan�s only comprehensive animal health diagnostic center. Running nearly 1.2 million diagnostic tests a year, the center is used by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, as well as private veterinary practitioners and animal owners throughout the region.
�Since its creation nearly 30 years ago, the center�s principal mission continues to be to protect animals and humans from the health threats of disease and toxic substances,� said Willie M. Reed, center director and chairperson of MSU�s Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation. �This is achieved by the rapid and accurate detection of infectious diseases to prevent spread and minimize animal losses and human illness.�
Located on a 14-acre site at the corner of Forest and Beaumont roads, south of the main MSU campus, the center consolidates labs, offices and classrooms into a single structure that provides new and upgraded labs for improved personnel safety, biocontainment and expanded services.
Originally known as the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory, the center is a service unit located within the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. It was founded in the mid-1970s in response to an incident in which the fire retardant chemical PBB was accidentally introduced to the state�s food chain.
Today, the center works in collaboration with the state of Michigan, the farming community and private veterinarians in an effort to keep animals and humans free of infectious diseases.
�This collaborative venture will contribute greatly to our efforts to prevent the spread of many diseases that affect both animals and humans,� said MSU President Peter McPherson. �We are particularly grateful to the state of Michigan and the many legislators and others who made the funding for this magnificent building possible.�
�The center is a testament to what we do best here at Michigan State University � take the knowledge gained in laboratories and classrooms and apply it to problems that affect us all,� said Lou Anna K. Simon, MSU provost and president designate. �We�re proud to house this facility on our campus and look forward to working side-by-side with scientists from the state of Michigan, as well as public health officials, private-practice veterinarians, livestock producers and others that will benefit greatly from this building.�
The new facility is where diagnostic tests are conducted on samples to determine the presence of such diseases as bovine tuberculosis, West Nile virus and chronic wasting disease. Since its founding, the numbers of tests conducted at the lab have risen dramatically � from fewer than 9,000 in its first year of operation to more than 1.2 million last year.
�Today�s dedication ceremony is a historic moment for Michigan, marking the culmination of a multi-year, state-of-the-art diagnostic facility for animal health in our state,� said Dan Wyant, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture. �It represents a long-term commitment to public and animal health and safety, and will better prepare Michigan to handle emerging issues.�
Prior to the construction of the new facility, the center�s labs were housed in several different buildings throughout the MSU campus. Among those were labs specializing in clinical pathology, parasitology, bacteriology, toxicology and virology.
In addition, the new center provides biosafety level III (BL-3) containment to support the state of Michigan�s bovine TB eradication program. It also contains BL-3 microbiology labs for the identification of pathogens that threaten animal and human health such as West Nile virus and multidrug resistant Salmonella.
�I view the center as the front line of defense in detecting biological and chemical agents used in terrorist attacks against U.S. animal agriculture,� Reed said.
The center was funded through a special $58 million appropriation from the state of Michigan.
For additional information on the center, visit the Web at www.dcpah.msu.edu
Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health
Michigan State University
Located on the campus of Michigan State University, the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (DCPAH) brings together under one roof laboratories and scientists all with one common goal: To protect the health and well-being of our human and animal populations.
This unique facility will be used by scientists from MSU and the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources to assist in the surveillance and detection of diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and rabies, as well as diseases that have yet to make their mark in Michigan such as chronic wasting disease and foot-and-mouth disease.
Resting on 14 acres just south of the main MSU campus, the center provides diagnostic services to veterinarians, livestock owners and many others, all in a safe, contained environment.
The Facts:
- Containing 152,000 gross square feet of space, the DCPAH brings together 10 labs that previously had been located in several buildings on the MSU campus.
- The building is located on 14 acres of land at the corner Beaumont and Forest roads. Among the labs located in the building: clinical pathology, parasitology, bacteriology, toxicology and virology.
- The center also biosafety level III (BL-3) containment to support, among other projects, the state of Michigan�s bovine tuberculosis eradication program. It also contains BL-3 microbiology labs for the identification of pathogens that threaten animal and human health such as West Nile virus and multidrug resistant Salmonella.
- The DCPAH employs about 120 professional, technical and support staff that annually process more than 160,000 diagnostic submissions and perform as many as 1.2 million diagnostic tests.
- The DCPAH serves as a learning center for students in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. The center has laboratory and classroom space that is used for teaching veterinary students, providing postgraduate educational and research opportunities, training pathology students and conducting education programs.
- The cost of the center: approximately $58 million; funded through a special appropriation from the state of Michigan. The facility is owned and operated by MSU.
The Impact:
- By combining a qualified staff and state-of-the-art facilities, the DCPAH is highly effective in diagnosing many diseases that already affect Michigan and our region, including bovine tuberculosis and West Nile virus.
- Over the past two decades, nearly 75 percent of the approximately 30 new diseases discovered in humans were zoonotic (diseases transmissible from animals to humans). The DCPAH is a critical first line of defense in alerting public health officials of the presence of these diseases in our animal populations.
- The rapid detection of zoonotic diseases provides an early warning for potential outbreaks of disease in humans. Examples: West Nile virus in birds, tuberculosis in deer and cattle, and rabies in raccoons.
- Of the more than 1,650 human disease conditions, nearly 60 percent are caused by pathogens that also infect animals. Having a well-staffed, state-of-the-art diagnostic center that is capable of detecting these pathogens provides insurance for the protection of human and animal health.
- Michigan livestock and wildlife generate approximately $4 billion in direct economic activity and at least $2 billion in indirect activity annually. Livestock production directly accounts for about 23,000 jobs in the state. Hunters and anglers spend about $2.7 billion in Michigan annually.
- Michigan�s economy suffers an annual loss of more than $100 million due to livestock diseases and parasites. For each 1 percent that livestock losses are cut through DCPAH services, Michigan saves $1 million.
Peter McPherson, president, Michigan State University
�The DCPAH is not a Michigan State University building, nor is it a state of Michigan building, but rather a facility that belongs to the people of Michigan. This collaborative venture will contribute greatly to our efforts to prevent the spread of many diseases that affect both animals and humans. We are particularly grateful to the state of Michigan and the many legislators and others who made the funding for this magnificent building possible.�
Lou Anna K. Simon, provost and president designate, Michigan State University.
�The Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health is a testament to what we do best here at Michigan State University � take the knowledge gained in laboratories and classrooms and apply it to problems that affect us all. We�re proud to house this facility on our campus and look forward to working side-by-side with scientists from the state of Michigan, as well as public health officials, private-practice veterinarians, livestock producers and others that will benefit greatly from this building.�
Dan Wyant, director, Michigan Department of Agriculture
�Today�s dedication ceremony is a historic moment for Michigan, marking the culmination of a multi-year effort to create a one-stop, state-of-the-art diagnostic facility for animal health in our state. It represents a long-term commitment to public and animal health and safety, and will better prepare Michigan to handle emerging issues. This facility is truly a shining example of what can be accomplished with strong state, university and industry partnerships and collaboration � a model that Michigan has come to be known for.�
Rebecca Humphries, director, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
�The DCPAH is a vital key in our continued efforts to ensure the health of Michigan�s wildlife. Globalization has brought a host of foreign species and diseases to Michigan, and the professionals working at the DCPAH will use this facility to safeguard Michigan�s natural resources. We�re especially pleased to be working in such close coordination with Michigan State University and the state Department of Agriculture. This partnership will undoubtedly help secure a safe, healthy future for our state�s ecosystem.�
Lonnie King, dean, MSU College of Veterinary Medicine
�Our new diagnostic center will continue to meet the diagnostic needs of livestock, companion animal and wildlife populations across Michigan. It will also play a new and expanded role to support the public�s health related to zoonotic and emerging pathogens, as well as bio- and agro-terrorist agents associated with homeland security.�
Willie M. Reed, director, Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health
�This facility is capable of assisting the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its surveillance activities for foreign animal diseases. Also, should any foreign animal disease be detected, this laboratory, probably more than any other veterinary diagnostic laboratory, is capable of performing diagnostic tests because of its high bio-containment laboratories.�
Steven Halstead, state veterinarian, Michigan Department of Agriculture
�Michigan veterinarians, companion and farm animal owners, and wildlife biologists are fortunate to have this world-class facility and staff available to help them diagnose and protect the health of animals in our state and the health of humans who interact with those animals.�
Wayne H. Wood, president, Michigan Farm Bureau
�This center represents more than brick and mortar, and its scope is larger than animal agriculture. The Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health is an assurance to our members and all Michigan residents that we have a state-of-the-art lab in our home state that is able to diagnose a variety of diseases affecting not only livestock but humans and wildlife, and even diseases we're not aware of yet.�
Willie M. Reed
Director
Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health
(517) 353-0635
reedw@msu.edu
Lonnie King
Dean
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine
(517) 355-6509
kinglonn@msu.edu
Steven Halstead
State Veterinarian
Michigan Department of Agriculture
(517) 373-8200
halsteads@michigan.gov
Sara Linsmeier-Wurfel
Public Information Officer
Michigan Department of Agriculture
(517) 241-4282
linsmeiers@michigan.gov
Patricia Stewart
Chief Communications Officer
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
(517) 373-0046
stewartpa@michigan.gov
Linda Chadderdon
Communications Manager
College of Veterinary Medicine
(517) 355-5165
chadderd@cvm.msu.edu
Tom Oswald
Communications Manager
MSU University Relations
(517) 355-2281
oswald@msu.edu