FROM  THE  DIRECTOR

H. Leon Thacker, DVM, PhD

 In the "Good ole summer'time".  Time flies when you're busy and having fun; it seems that it has only been a few days since writing a few paragraphs for the spring issue of the Diagnostic Forum.  I send thanks especially to those who have contacted us with words of appreciation and encouragement for the contents of our newsletter. If there are subjects that you would like to see addressed in future issues, please do not hesitate to make request of it.  Some items of note since the last issue include the results of immunohistochemistry tests for chronic wasting disease that were run on hunter killed deer from Indiana.  Two thousand one hundred seventeen samples were run from the 2002 season and 2181 samples from the 2003 season; all samples were found to be "no resistant prions detected" or, in other words, no evidence of CWD was found in any of the samples run.  We expect to receive samples from approximately 2000 deer from the 2004 season from DNR to check for CWD.  The bacteriology and serology sections of the ADDL are very busy at this time processing and testing fecal cultures for identification of the causative Mycobacterium and serum samples by ELISA for antibodies to the organism in support of the State/Federal Johne's Disease Surveillance Program.  It was recently announced that the State program would be continued for at least another year; it is expected that the heavy case load for Johne's testing will continue.  We are installing a new atomic absorption spectrophotometer to replace the aged and worn-out AAS in our toxicology lab; one change that this will affect will be the need to receive blood specimens for blood lead determination in anticoagulant tubes rather than clot tubes as required previously because of the new analytical procedure of the new machine.  Federal funding has been assigned to place an alkaline tissue digestor at the Heeke Southern Indiana ADDL.  A means of tissue/carcass disposal at the laboratory has been sorely needed for many years.  The pressurized alkaline tissue digestor process has been shown to inactivate the prions which are the causative agents of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease and scrapie.  It is also economical and noted to be much less expensive to operate than incineration for carcass disposal.

A new ADDL fee schedule will go into effect July 1, 2004.  This will mainly affect fees for necropsy, bacteriology and histopathology testing; newly available tests in the lab will be listed.  A copy of the new fee schedule is included with this mailing.  Again, if you have suggestions for improvement of the diagnostic services of our laboratory, please do not hesitate to inform us.  Hope you have a great summer.