​The Fort Collins branch of ​the CSU VDL is equipped with a biosafety level 3 laboratory a​nd is one of only a few laboratories approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control to handle and test for select agents; infectious microorganisms deemed to pose a severe threat to public, animal, or planet health.

Our laboratory is one of the 12 core laboratories of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. This network enhances the nation’s early detection of, response to, and recovery from animal-health emergencies that threaten the nation’s food supply and public health, including:

• Bioterrorist events
• Newly emerging diseases
• Foreign animal diseases

As part of this network, the CSU VDL works closely with the USDA in validating and implementing “high throughput” molecular assays for a variety of exotic agents, all of which are considered high-priority agroterrorist pathogens, including:

• Foot-and-mouth disease
• Classical swine fever
• Exotic Newcastle disease
• Avian influenza

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