Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab (TVMDL)

02/09/2024

Happy Labor Day from TVMDL! All locations are closed today. Normal hours will resume tomorrow, September 3.

30/08/2024

Dr. Alexis Thompson has been named resident director for TVMDL's Canyon laboratory. Dr. Thompson joined the agency last year as the lab's food animal veterinary diagnostician. Her service has guided clients through recent unprecedented events such as the current avian influenza outbreak in dairy cattle and the wildfires that devastated the region earlier this year. Please join TVMDL in congratulating Dr. Thompson on her new role!

The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, has named Alexis Thompson, DVM, Ph.D., DACVPM, as resident director at the Charles W. “Doc” Graham ‘53 DVM laboratory in Canyon. She will begin her new role Sept. 1. As resident director, Thompson will oversee all aspects of the la...

27/08/2024

TVMDL's College Station lab is recruiting for a diagnostic technician in the virology section. The virology section serves an important role in evaluating animal health. Much of the testing performed in this section aids in the movement of animals and animal products and ensures the flow of commerce. If you're interested in starting your career at TVMDL, visit tx.ag/VirologyTech to learn more about this posting and apply.

26/08/2024

Happy International Dog Day! 🐾🐶

23/08/2024

Have you caught the latest episodes of TVMDL's podcast?🦠 This month we cover bovine respiratory disease and Chagas disease. Each episode brings in a TVMDL subject matter expert to discuss a specific disease or condition and the testing options available to clients.

Give these episodes, and others, a listen on Apple or Spotify.

Apple: tx.ag/DDApple
Spotify: tx.ag/DDSpotify

21/08/2024

Join TVMDL in welcoming Dr. Semira Mancill to the agency! Through her role as a veterinary diagnostician, Dr. Mancill will assist equine clients in test selection, result interpretation, and other consultation services. Learn more about her by visiting tx.ag/TVMDLMancill

20/08/2024

On Saturday, TVMDL's College Station lab opened our doors to employees' loved ones for our annual open house. This event allows employees to give their friends and family a firsthand look at their roles in the lab and the impact they make on animal health. Employees treated their guests to lab tours and enjoyed balloon animals, face painting, and door prizes. 🐾🔬

08/08/2024

Happy International Cat Day!🐱 Feel free to show off your feline friends in the comments below.

07/08/2024

We are excited to host our second marine mammal pathology webinar next Monday. If you haven't already, be sure to register for this FREE event. All are welcomed to participate, but licensed Texas veterinarians are eligible to earn one hour of continuing education credit. Register by visiting tx.ag/TVMDLCE.

05/08/2024

Week two of our summer conference run brings us to TAM Beef Cattle Short Course. Come see us between sessions to learn about how we can assist producers with their diagnostic testing needs. 🧫🐮

01/08/2024

Fort Worth, we’re ready for you! We are set up for the Texas Equine Veterinary Association Summer Symposium. Swing by the exhibit hall and chat with Dr. Mays and Dr. Hensley about our equine test offerings.

25/07/2024

It's with great sadness we share that Dr. Konrad Eugster, our beloved former executive director, has passed away. Dr. Eugster led TVMDL in various capacities for over 30 years. His legacy and efforts are interwoven into our storied history and contributed to much of our success as an agency. For more information about Dr. Eugster, visit tx.ag/TVMDLEugster.

16/07/2024

Going out of the country this summer? For those who wish to include their pets in their international travel plans, it's important that import/export testing be performed early. Regardless of a country's entry requirements, canine brucellosis is a good test to request prior to travel. In today's episode, Dr. Brandon Dominguez and Dr. Cathy Campbell chat with Serology Section Head Dr. Melanie Landis to discuss canine brucellosis testing.

Listen here:
Spotify: tx.ag/DDSpotify
Apple Podcasts: tx.ag/DDApple

12/07/2024

Who joined us yesterday for the first installment of our summer webinar series covering marine mammal pathlogy? If you missed it, don’t worry! We still have two webinars left. All are welcome to attend, but Texas veterinarians are eligible for one hour of continuing education credit. Did we mention these webinars are free? In August we’ll be covering brucellosis in cetaceans. Register now at tx.ag/TVMDLCE.

09/07/2024

TVMDL's Center and Gonzales labs play a vital role in protecting the state's poultry flocks. Carlos Rodriguez, epidemiology and informatics manager, offers a bird's eye view of serology testing at these labs the past five years. Learn more by clicking the image below.

Serology Testing in Non-Commercial Birds from Texas, 2019-2024 Carlos Rodriguez, Epidemiology and Informatics Manager In addition to managing two of the state’s poultry health programs, TVMDL helps keep Texas’ birds healthy through dedicated high-volume testing at the Center and Gonzales locatio...

04/07/2024

Happy Fourth of July! TVMDL wishes all our clients a safe and enjoyable holiday. All labs are closed today. Normal hours will resume tomorrow.

03/07/2024

Join TVMDL in welcoming Dr. Margaret Odom, the agency's first veterinary resident. Learn more about Dr. Odom by visiting tx.ag/Odom.

02/07/2024

Small ruminant folks, this one is for you! Caseous lymphadenitis (CL) a.k.a cheesy gland is prominent among sheep and goats. To get ahead of the infection, it's important bacterial samples are submitted quickly and properly. In this episode, Dr. Brandon Dominguez and Dr. Alexis Thompson sit down with Bacteriology Section Head Dr. Narayan Paul to discuss testing for CL.

Listen here:
Spotify: tx.ag/DDSpotify
Apple Podcasts: tx.ag/DDApple

27/06/2024

It's no secret. Texas turns up the heat during the summer. Extreme temperatures add an additional challenge to properly shipping samples to TVMDL. Click the image below to ensure your shipments arrive at TVMDL quickly, safely, and viable for testing.

It’s hot and getting hotter. Extreme temperatures will affect the condition of samples if not shipped properly. This may lead to delays in results if samples arrive at TVMDL in an untestable condition. TVMDL encourages clients to beat the heat when shipping samples this summer by following these b...

25/06/2024

TVMDL manages the Texas Pullorum-Typhoid Program in addition to the state's efforts to support the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). Poultry Programs Administrator Sydney Rosario shares more about these programs and their benefit to flock owners. Click the image below to learn more.

Poultry programs available to flock owners Sydney Rosario, Poultry Programs Administrator TVMDL manages two poultry programs. The Texas Pullorum-Typhoid (PT) Program’s mission is to control and eradicate pullorum disease (Salmonella pullorum) and fowl typhoid (Salmonella gallinarum) in poultry flo...

18/06/2024

Surprise! Diseases & Diagnoses is moving to two episodes a month. Today's episode covers small animal parasites. Though many clinics have in-house methods of detection for commonly seen parasites, what about those random, one-off situations? That's where TVMDL comes in. Assistant Section Head for Clinical Pathology Mindy Borst discusses how practitioners can couple their expertise with TVMDL's experience to ensure timely and accurate detection for all parasites.

Listen here:
Spotify: tx.ag/DDSpotify
Apple Podcasts: tx.ag/DDApple

17/06/2024

Earlier this month staff from College Station's clinical pathology section traveled to Waco to present at the Veterinary Team Association of Texas' workshop. Big thanks to Mindy Borst, Caitlin Wampler, Kiera Pope, and Emma Jones for representing TVMDL and hosting a valuable hands on experience for attendees.

13/06/2024

It's always a pleasure to host campers from the Texas A&M AgriLife - Veterinary Science Certificate Program. Yesterday, the College Station lab hosted over 40 members participating in one of the VSCP's many summer camps. While here, campers learned about the invaluable role diagnostics play in animal health and the different career paths available to those with an interest in animal science and veterinary medicine. Thanks to Dr. Brandon Dominguez, Dr. Cathy Campbell, and Elexus Hargis for treating campers to an impactful experience!

06/06/2024

Who loves FREE CE? We're excited to announce the first installment of our upcoming pathology webinar series! Texas veterinarians are eligible to earn one hour of continuing education credit. Not a Texas vet? That's ok! All welcome to participate in the webinar. Learn more and register for this event by visit tx.ag/TVMDLCE.

04/06/2024

Many producers experience issues with pre-weaning calf diarrhea. Though common, it's important to determine the cause of diarrhea to ensure the calf stays healthy and hydrated. In this episode, Dr. Brandon Dominguez and Dr. Alexis Thompson speak with Nina Velasquez, a bacteriology and serology technician at the Canyon laboratory, to cover the testing options TVMDL offers producers and some of the infectious causes of diarrhea.

Listen here:
Spotify: tx.ag/DDSpotify
Apple Podcasts: tx.ag/DDApple

29/05/2024

TVMDL is excited to attend the Texas Emergency Management Conference in Fort Worth. Swing by booth #602 and chat with us to learn more about how we work alongside state and federal emergency management partners to serve Texas and beyond.

🤠The day has finally come to kick off !

We can't wait to meet you all and exchange ideas about all aspects of emergency management!

Make sure you're following us to stay up to date on events and seminars: tdem.texas.gov/conference

28/05/2024

Assistant Agency Director for Microbiology and Research and Development Dr. Kiril Dimirtov is one of two TVMDL professionals representing the agency in the newly developed LEAD program. Thank you for your dedication to TVMDL’s clients, Dr. Dimitrov!

Since 2021, Kiril Dimitrov, DVM, Ph.D., has served as the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab (TVMDL) assistant director for microbiology and research and development. Joining the department in 2019, he initially served as the virology and molecular diagnostics section head at the Amarillo laboratory then joined the College Station laboratory to serve as the virology section head. Dimitrov came to TVMDL from the USDA National Poultry Research Center, where he served as a visiting scientist and worked on the development of rapid diagnostics tools, researched viral molecular epidemiology and evolution, next generation sequencing methodologies and bioinformatics, and vaccines.

Dimitrov earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Trakia University, Bulgaria. After graduation, he trained at various agencies specializing in food safety, avian disease diagnostics and molecular diagnostics. In 2013, he earned a doctorate from the National Diagnostic and Research Veterinary Medical Institute in Bulgaria, focusing on molecular-epidemiological studies of Newcastle disease.

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The LEAD AgriLife program was created to develop the collective strength of faculty and staff across the organizations under Texas A&M AgriLife. The bridges created will lead to more research, programs and projects that are multi-department.

Learn more at tx.ag/LEAD2324

27/05/2024

We extend our gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. All TVMDL locations are closed today. Regular business hours will resume tomorrow.

23/05/2024

As a reminder, all TVMDL locations will be closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day, with normal hours will resuming on Tuesday. Please ship samples with this closure in mind. Those local to the College Station or Canyon labs may consider each lab's after hours drop off areas. Learn more by clicking the image below.

TVMDL accepts walk-in samples at all four locations. Bring the specimen to the receiving door or dock. TVMDL personnel will assist with large samples and/or carcasses. Fill out a submission form for the laboratory. Present payment information/account information or fill out a prepayment form. The sa...

22/05/2024

As pets start to spend more time outside, it's important to be aware of ticks. Both pictures serve as great examples of the immense burden ticks play on animal health. The first picture is of a female tick and her thousands of eggs. The second picture shows all the ticks removed from one animal. It's important to regularly check your animals for these little hitchhikers they may have picked up from being outside. If you need assistance identifying ticks or testing for a tick-borne disease, visit tvmdl.tamu.edu.