May 4, 2007

When it comes to conducting toxicology tests for substances like melamine, labs across the country use the Food and Drug Administration's approved protocols.

However, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Veterinary Diagnostic Center has an additional set of validation standards.

A new quality program based on the International Organization for Standardization's guidelines for analytical labs includes a series of quality systems that sets a higher standard for lab management and how data is recorded, said David Steffen, director of UNL's Veterinary Diagnostic Center.

The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians accreditation standards went into effect at the lab Jan. 1, 2007.

This new quality program puts standards in place for equipment, validation of new assays and all the maintenance logs for equipment and calibration standards, Steffen said.

UNL's Veterinary Diagnostic Center always did these things, but with the new quality program the lab's tests are better documented, he said."This allows us to make sure the sample was handled properly from the equipment used to the qualifications and training of staff testing it," he said. "Basically we will be able to trace the assay all the way back to the sample entry. It really provides a higher level of quality assurance."

The lab has a full-time quality specialist that continuously works on program enhancement and performs quarterly audit. External audits are conducted on a scheduled basis for laboratory accreditation.Steffen said the AAVLD, the lab's accrediting association, voted to bring all accredited labs up to this higher standard.

"Most public labs in the U.S. and Canada are accredited to AAVLD or ISO standards," Steffen said. "This accreditation is recognized internationally and increases confidence in our testing. It improves confidence in disease security whenever animals are moved whether across boarders or between herds."

Sandi Alswager Karstens
IANR News Service