By Craig Bowen, Kenitra Hendrix and Joseph Boyle, Purdue University

The Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory opened as an official stand-alone facility in 1947 on Purdue University’s West Lafayette, Indiana campus, but its origin actually dates back to 1912 when its initial operations began as a testing laboratory for vaccines to prevent and control hog cholera. As such, the laboratory was one of the first resources in the United States dedicated exclusively to the diagnosis of animal diseases.

In 1969, a second location was established in Southern Indiana to provide crucial testing and support to the poultry industry as well as to aid in the general prevention, control and eradication of animal diseases and to provide for the safety of the food supply.

With state-of-the-art equipment in the hands of highly trained and dedicated staff, the ADDL provides reliable veterinary diagnostic testing to Indiana and the rest of the United States. The laboratory accessioned a total of 29,478 animal cases in 2022, with nearly 66% of those originating in Indiana, and 34% coming from out of state.

Indiana ranks fifth in the United States for pork production, and animal agriculture contributes more than $4 billion each year to Indiana’s economy. Indiana pork producers annually meet the pork needs of every man, woman and child in Indiana. . . plus 15 million more people in the U.S. and 5 million more people around the world.

The ADDL and the Heeke Laboratory focus on helping Indiana veterinarians, animal health officials, livestock producers and animal owners protect the health of the animal population by providing prompt, accurate and reliable diagnoses of animal diseases, including those that may also affect the human population.

The ADDL is fully accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians and serves as the official diagnostic laboratory for the State of Indiana. The ADDL offers a wide range of testing services in the specialty areas of aquaculture, avian, bacteriology and mycology, canine genetics, histology, immunohistochemistry, molecular diagnostics, pathology, parasitology, serology, toxicology, and virology.

The ADDL is a Level 2 laboratory and a member of the USDA National Animal Health Laboratory Network and the FDA Food Emergency Response Network. Additionally, the ADDL serves an important role in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s educational programs, including the DVM And Veterinary Nursing degree programs, residencies and traditional graduate degree programs in anatomical pathology, poultry diagnostic medicine and microbiology.

The ADDL has a sizeable catalog of swine diagnostic tests that continues to grow and meet the diagnostic needs of the swine veterinarians and producers. In addition to traditional serologic and microbial diagnostic methods, the ADDL continues to expand the offering of molecular diagnostic services through individual PCR assays and syndromic panels.

The ADDL at Purdue University is pleased to join the Swine Diseases Reporting System network and looks forward to collaborating with other SDRS members in providing data for use in disease prevention and biosecurity, and disease monitoring, management and forecasting.