The global emergence of antimicrobial resistance is considered a major public health threat to veterinary and human medicine. Stakeholders including government agencies, universities, and industry partners are mobilizing to tackle the threat before it becomes a public health crisis. The NJ State Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory (AHDL) of the NJ Department of Agriculture is fulfilling its role in addressing the problem by participating in the FDA led project to monitor antimicrobial resistance in veterinary patients. The AHDL’s collaboration with the FDA and other veterinary diagnostic laboratories highlights the significance of studying bacterial isolates derived from veterinary patient samples. The study found some highly resistant bacteria in companion animals and their relatedness to the human isolates underscoring the importance of incorporating companion animal isolates data into resistance monitoring programs. The full text of study findings is available at https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12917-019-1864-2

The AHDL offers swab and urine submission mailers/kits to enable submission of samples to the AHDL using overnight shipping services. The price of culture and susceptibility is $40 and includes culture, susceptibility, and shipping of samples to the laboratory by Fed Ex/UPS. Kits can be obtained by calling the laboratory at (609) 406-6999 or emailing jerseyvetlab@ag.nj.gov. Please call the laboratory for any questions. 

The AHDL is one of only 18 veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the United States accredited to the ISO 17025 standard. Visit the smart phone friendly AHDL website to learn more about our services at www.jerseyvetlab.nj.gov .

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