Animal Disease Surveillance and Parasitology

Animal Disease Surveillance and Parasitology

The National Veterinary Laboratory carries out a number of screening tests for a variety of animal diseases such as Enzootic Bovine Leucosis, Avian Influenza, Bluetongue, African Horse Sickness and Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy. 

The laboratory also analyses samples which are collected as part of the Brucella Surveillance Programme ongoing on all ruminant farms in Malta and Gozo. 

Two images showing animal blood samples being screened for animal diseases. The left image shows a hand covered in a white plastic glove holding a multi-channel pipette with tips transferring a yellow solution from a tip tub to a 96 well plate. A yellow rack containing white capped vacutainers and another rack containing red capped vacutainers filled with blood are present. The right image shows a hand covered in a white plastic glove holding a glass pasteur pipette and transferring blood from red capped vacutainers to transparent test tubes. 
 Animal blood samples are screened for animal diseases

Trichinella surveillance is carried out on all fattening pigs, sows and boars and all equines slaughtered for human consumption.  

Two images showing a digestion procedure for the detection of parasites. The left image shows the inside of an incubator. Inside the incubator there are two blue magnetic stirrers with heating. Both stirrers are plugged into a socket within the incubator. On one of the magnetic stirrers, there is a large beaker filled with brown digestion fluid and covered with aluminium foil. The right image shows a laboratory officer dressed in a white lab coat. The laboratory officer is looking through a white microscope.Digestion procedure for the detection of parasites​


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 ​© Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights 2023
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