On June 11, 2022, the Maryland Department of Agriculture hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Salisbury Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in Salisbury, Maryland. The original Salisbury Animal Health Laboratory was built in 1953 and served its purpose for many years, particularly in catering to the diagnostic needs of the poultry industry on the Delmarva peninsula. However, due to the age and deterioration of the old structure as well as an increased need for diagnostic services, staff, and equipment, a new facility had to be constructed. The newly built laboratory will play a key role in the timely and accurate diagnosis of economically important poultry diseases that could impact the poultry industry, especially in the case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). This new facility will also benefit the collaboration between the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory through a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which is facilitating the diagnosis of animal diseases, understanding the epidemiology of growing disease trends and emerging diseases in the state, and increasing data sharing by both parties, thereby better serving the poultry and livestock industries as well as public health and the wildlife community in Maryland. Five faculty members: Drs. Mostafa Ghanem, Nathaniel Tablante, Meiqing Shi, Yanjin Zhang, and Xiaoping Zhu from the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland attended the ceremony. These faculty members had the opportunity to tour the new state-of-the-art BSL-2 and BSL-3 facilities, and meet Governor Larry Hogan, Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder, and other state officials and poultry industry leaders. Vet Med faculty also discussed collaboration opportunities with colleagues in the Salisbury Animal Health Laboratory.
