PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The overall objective of this proposal is to enhance the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL)’s capability and capacity for surveillance, early detection and rapid response to animal food or drug related illnesses or other large-scale animal food/feed emergency events requiring surge capacity testing of implicated diagnostic or animal food/feed samples. The VDL is a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory staffed and equipped to provide complete pathological, microbiological, and comprehensive toxicological testing for FDA, CVM, and federal, state, or local agencies. The VDL serves as the official veterinary diagnostic laboratory for the State of Michigan and is one of the busiest in the U.S., conducting more than 1 million tests annually. The laboratory has an extensive client base, with clients in all 50 states and Canada. Given this diverse client base, the VDL is uniquely positioned to receive samples from across the US and Canada. The staff comprises 135 faculty and support staff with expertise in bacteriology, virology, parasitology, anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, toxicology, nutrition, immunodiagnostics and endocrinology. The VDL houses wildlife biologists and diagnosticians from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and regulatory veterinarians from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). This unique arrangement facilitates efforts to address the important interface between domestic animals and wildlife. The laboratory is fully accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) to perform diagnostic testing on all animal species and is a Tier One laboratory in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) and a member of the Laboratory Response Network (LRN), the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN), and the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN).