The IDEXX RADIL professional staff has operated a diagnostic laboratory for over 40 years. Our staff includes ACLAM-boarded veterinarians and Ph.D. microbiologists, molecular biologists, and geneticists.
Cell lines and tumors obtained from human patients are important tools for biomedical research. However, these biological materials may harbor human pathogens that are potentially infectious and transmissible. In many cases, human cell lines and tumors are used in research without assessing their pathogen status, which poses a potential health hazard to researchers handling these materials. Failure to assess the pathogen status of human biological materials represents a major risk in terms of personnel safety and institutional liability.
Of approximately 800 cell lines and tumors tested at RADIL, 0.61% of specimens were positive for HIV and 0.49% were positive for Hepatitis B. These data highlight the importance of testing human biological materials that are used in laboratory settings.
Read More!As any researcher cultivating cells knows, Mycoplasma can be the bane of one's existence. Not only can the presence of Mycoplasma inhibit cell proliferation, an acute infection can also cause complete destruction of the cell culture.
At IDEXX RADIL, we have been testing biologicals for the presence of Mycoplasma for more than a decade.
Each sample is evaluated with two different primer sets, both are designed with primers in conserved regions of the Mycoplasma genus genome. Because our primer sets are designed in regions of the genome that are highly conserved among Mycoplasma species, the assay detects all Mycoplasmas that have been reported to infect cell cultures as well as MANY other mycoplasmas.
Read More!Detection of mites through the traditional method of visual inspection is challenging, especially when the infestation is mild and low numbers of mites are present. Yet failure to detect mites during quarantine can jeopardize the health status of the entire animal facility.
What's the most challenging direct testing dilemmas that facilities face?The webinar "Approaches to Quarantine and Direct Diagnostic Screening," answers that question based on input from lab animal managers. The webinar was presented by Dr. Cindy Besch-Williford and Dr. Matthew Myles, and is now available for review at: www.radil.missouri.edu/userfiles/Opti-Q.wmv
innate part of our makeup. We never stop looking for environmentally-friendly practices to adopt internally as well as to encourage our clients to adopt. For a few ideas about how you can add a shot of sustainability to your practices in 2012, we offer three opportunities.