CVMDL moving towards digital pathology
Digital Pathology is now an integral part of research and diagnostics. The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) at the University of Connecticut is taking its first steps towards adopting this promising methodology. Dr. Emily Reinhardt, a Board-Certified Veterinary Pathologist with CVMDL, attended a training session for QuPath in San Diego, CA hosted by the La Jolla Institute for Immunology. QuPath is a bioimage analysis software, user-friendly, extensible, open-source software that is used for digital pathology and whole slide image analysis. CVMDL is building the capacity necessary to include digital pathology into its routine workflows.
Widening the scope of pathology techniques at CVMDL
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a laboratory technique used in pathology to identify specific antigens involved in infectious and non-infectious disease and cell and tumor biomarkers. CVMDL has been actively involved with the detection of animal diseases affecting the central nervous system like West Nile Virus (WNV). Dr. Emily Reinhardt, a Board-Certified Veterinary Pathologist with CVMDL is actively engaged in elucidating which cells are being targeted or recruited by WNV in the US and Usutu virus in Europe in raptors and crows during natural exposures. The work pursued by Dr. Reinhardt is being performed in collaboration with Dr. Giuseppe Giglia from the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy. As part of this work, Dr. Reinhardt visited the Laboratory of Neuropathology at that institution and performed work based on the IHC technique. Dr. Reinhardt will lead the effort to expand IHC capacities at CVMDL that can be used for research and diagnostic purposes.
Histotechnologist joined CVMDL
Ms. Emily Doty is a Histotechnologist (HTL) certified by American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) that recently joined the Histology Laboratory at Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL). Ms. Doty has vast experience in histology working with veterinary, exotic, and marine animals. She brings a passion and wealth of expertise in histological special staining techniques, which she views as an art as well as a science. Ms. Doty is joining the University of Connecticut community coming from IDEXX, a global company leader in Animal Health.
CVMDL involved with African Swine Fever surveillance in southern New England
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease affecting both domestic and feral swine of all ages. ASF is neither a threat for humans, nor it is a food safety issue. ASF is found in countries around the world but has never been detected in the United States. The Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) has joined the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to participate in their ASF surveillance plan. The plan put forward by USDA APHIS titled “Swine Hemorrhagic Fevers: African and Classical Swine Fever Integrated Surveillance Plan” has two objectives:
- Strengthen detection capabilities and to enhance outbreak preparedness for ASF and Classical Swine Fever (CSF)
- Support claims of disease freedom in the US for ASF and CSF.
As a member laboratory of USDA-National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), CVMDL has the capacity necessary to support the mission of the USDA.
