AMES, Iowa – The newer multi-million dollar Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Iowa State University is at the front lines of the battle against Avian Influenza.

“At the height of our testing, it could be up to 1,000 to 3,000 tests per week,” said Dr. Phillip Gauger, who oversees molecular diagnostics.

Testing for bird flu is ramped up after an outbreak and activates a back-up plan that includes longer hours with some staff members placed on-call over weekends. It is a scenario that is tacked on top of the additional diagnostic work the lab does for other animal diseases while serving Iowa, several other states and even a few countries.

“The pressure that comes is just the increased volume of testing that we need to do,” Dr. Gauger told reporter Katie Kaplan. “And then on top of that, the test turnaround time has to be very quick.”

According to Dr. Gauger, the work they do on animal samples is the first step toward protecting humans.

“The lab is very important to the public because of our ability to supply a multitude of tests for pathogens that affect our production animal species, which affects our food supply,” he said.

The lab employs roughly 150 people. Phase one of the multi-million dollar facility opened up roughly a year ago. Phase two is under construction and is projected to open in 2026, according to the University.

Samples can be dropped off in person at the lab, or sent in via UPS. They are then inventoried and paired down into vials or smaller containers before being sent to specialty departments for testing. Results are often available the next day.

The lab made national headlines when it was the first to discover the avian flu in a herd of dairy cows, said Gauger. The result came after a sample had been sent in from a farm in Texas.

Meanwhile, in the offices located on the floor just above the lab, other experts work on battling the virus from a different angle.

“There’s kind of different levels of biosecurity,” said Dr. Yuko Sato. “How I explain it is basically keeping the outside out and keeping the inside in.”

Sato is a professor, poultry extension veterinarian and diagnostic pathologist for the university. She said a lot of her time is spent on “education outreach” and trying to help people understand the virus. That includes teaching Iowa farmers the best practices for protecting their livestock.

Because the virus is highly contagious, biosecurity measures for farmers include stocking up on sanitation materials and wearing the PPE gear that became so recognizable during the COVID-19 Pandemic.