Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory team serves on frontline of screwworm response
Historic deployment to assist in New World screwworm response supports rapid diagnostics in Texas
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The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, is no stranger to disease outbreaks, but New World screwworm has taken the agency to a new frontier outside the laboratory.
TVMDL works alongside animal owners, livestock producers, government agencies, zoos and other animal health stakeholders on diagnostics for issues ranging from avian influenza and anthrax to West Nile and COVID-19. Due to the nature of services, TVMDL’s support for animal health has been focused in the laboratory — until now.
TVMDL responds to New World screwworm
At the direction of the Office of the Governor, TVMDL personnel were deployed to the State Operations Center in Austin and joined USDA and Texas Animal Health Commission, TAHC, colleagues to support with immediate diagnostics and response activities following the detection of New World screwworm in Texas.
On June 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service APHIS, deployed a mobile animal disease laboratory to South Texas for rapid New World screwworm identification and confirmation. TVMDL answered the call, sending a rotation of staff members to assist USDA and TAHC colleagues.
“For almost 60 years, TVMDL has been dedicated to supporting animal health in the laboratory,” said Kiril M. Dimitrov, DVM, Ph.D., TVMDL director, Bryan-College Station. “We’re proud to be asked to provide our expertise in a new way by serving on the frontline of this response.”
Seven TVMDL professionals with backgrounds in entomology or parasitology are now rotating through weekly field deployments to USDA’s mobile animal disease laboratory.
“This is an incredible way for us to provide services to our stakeholders and support Texas’ response to a pest of the highest consequence,” Dimitrov said. “That’s something new for us, and it is building a capacity for improved and faster diagnostics of New World screwworm.”
Veterinarians in the field
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Beyond the mobile lab, TVMDL is supporting TAHC with epidemiological investigations. Seventeen veterinarians from TVMDL have made themselves available for field deployments. They support TAHC investigators performing clinical examinations, oversee animal health activities, coordinate with livestock inspectors and manage confirmed New World screwworm incidents.
“TVMDL’s diverse caseload means our veterinarians gain a wide array of knowledge in their daily work,” Dimitrov said. “The opportunity to utilize their experience in the field and serve Texans in this new way is an exciting chapter for TVMDL and truly embodies our agency’s service mission.”
Submitting samples
While Dimitrov said some New World screwworm samples have been brought to TVMDL facilities, all suspected cases should be directed to the TAHC and USDA regional veterinary responders.
To submit larvae samples from livestock for identification, call TAHC at 800-550-8242 to receive current shipping procedures. Then, visit TAHC for comprehensive information and a form for NWS sample collection and submission.
For wildlife submissions, contact your local veterinarian or wildlife biologist or the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at 512-389-4505.
About TVMDL
TVMDL operates two full-service labs, in College Station and Canyon, and two poultry labs, in Center and Gonzales. Annually, the agency receives over 200,000 submissions and performs over 1.1 million tests from Texas, neighboring states and over 20 countries around the world.
“Our job is to provide testing services that aid in disease detection and prevention,” Dimitrov said. “Our efforts help maintain the health, integrity and security of our animal populations and food supply, and beyond.”
