Announcements and Disease Updates

Antibiograms Current Job Openings Disease Updates Newsletters

Laboratory Testing updates

  • Check out our new Panel Testing options!
  • Beginning May 12th WSVL will be adding a $50.00 charge to all out-of-state rabies submissions. All in-state testing will remain free of charge. Please contact the lab at vetrec@uwyo.edu with questions.
  • We are now offering Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV) PCR testing.
  • Ear notches must be received by the WSVL within 72 hours of collection and be in individual, dry 10ml red top tubes to be considered valid for testing. Ear notches received outside of this time frame may instead be tested by the BVDV ELISA. Ear notches received in other tube types will incur a $2.00 handling fee per ear notch. Please call the Virology section at 766-9933 before collecting samples if you will have concerns about meeting these requirements. 
  • We are now offering a Microagglutination test (MAT) for Tularemia, making the WSVL the only veterinary diagnostic lab in the US that can determine titers for this pathogen.
     

Fee Schedule

Announcements

tortishell cat sitting on a table

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new microagglutination test (MAT) for Tularemia, making the WSVL the only veterinary diagnostic lab in the US that can determine titers for this pathogen.

This milestone was made possible by Dusty, a spirited Tortoiseshell and skillful hunter from Missouri, who provided the essential positive control serum following her own encounter with Francisella tularensis. Dusty was initially diagnosed with Tularemia after the WSVL Bacteriology lab detected F. tularensis via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

We extend our deepest gratitude to Dusty, her owner, and the dedicated team at Hillside Animal Hospital in St. Louis for their swift coordination in collecting and providing us with Dusty’s blood. We invite you to take advantage of this new diagnostic tool for your patients and join us in thanking Dusty for her invaluable contribution to veterinary diagnostics! 

maldi biotyper

 

We are excited to share an important upgrade in our Bacteriology Section with the addition of a MALDI Biotyper Sirius. This system replaces our previous MALDI-TOF and ensures continued access to rapid and accurate bacterial identification.

This upgrade was supported by the Vet-LIRN Network Capacity-Building Project and Equipment Grant, the University of Wyoming CALSNR, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

We look forward to continuing to provide high-quality diagnostic services to support animal and public health.

Tritrichomonas testing requirements from the Wyoming Livestock Board

The Wyoming Livestock Board has recently changed their Tritrichomonas submission form. Per guidelines of the Wyoming Livestock Board, we can only release results of official Trich testing if we have received correct and complete paperwork associated with Trich submissions. The current version of the submission form can be found on the WLSB and our Forms and Sampling Page websites. Please ensure that the current version of the submission form is filled out in its entirety for every submission for Trich testing.

Updated WSVL Inbound Shipping Program Links

The links for the WSVL Inbound shipping program that includes both UPS and FedEx couriers, are now be located within the WSVL Client Portal. You will be required to sign in using your username and password. The links will be located on the left side. For new users, please email vetrec@uwyo.edu or call 307-766-9925 to get set up with sign in credentials. 
The links will still be available on our website until April 15th, after that date you will be required to access them through the WSVL Client Portal.

Receiving UPS Shipments

Laramie's local UPS warehouse will be closing and moving operations to the Cheyenne UPS warehouse. This change will begin on March 16th. We are unsure how this will affect our UPS inbound deliveries, but we will keep everyone informed once the change has happened and our new delivery schedule is determined. Please call us with any questions you may have. 

 

 

clipart of electronic paperwork

(Image from Vecteezey.com)

Policy Update: Brucellosis Surveillance Reporting (Form 4-33)

Effective March 1, 2026, the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory (WSVL) will transition to an electronic-first reporting system for all Brucellosis surveillance data.

To ensure the fastest delivery of results and modernize our workflow, physical mailing of Federal Form 4-33 will be discontinued as the default delivery method.

How this affects your clinic:

  • Automatic Email Delivery: Results will be delivered to the email address associated with your WSVL account immediately upon completion.
  • No Action Needed for Most: If you are already receiving our diagnostic reports via email, your setup is complete. You do not need to contact the lab.
  • Verification: If you are not currently receiving reports digitally, please click here to provide your preferred email address.

Prefer to Keep Paper?

We recognize that some practices require physical records for their specific workflows. If you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your forms via USPS:

  1. Contact us at (307) 766-9925 or vetrec@uwyo.edu.
  2. Request to be placed on our Exception List.
  3. We will continue to mail your physical copies as usual.

 

culture plate

What is an antibiogram?

The antibiogram is a summary of antimicrobial susceptibilities of bacterial isolates submitted to WSVL. We will provide annual antibiograms to assist our clients in determining antibiotic therapy prior to knowing the susceptibility information.

 

 

Disease Updates

2023 Plague & Tularemia Map
2024 Plague & Tularemia Map
2025 Plague & Tularemia Map

2023 Equine Strangles Map
2024 Equine Strangles Map
2025 Equine Strangles Map
2026 Equine Strangles Map

2025 Q Fever Map

Current Rabies Map and Information

New World Screwworm

USDA has confirmed several cases of New World Screwworm in the United States. 
Please visit their information page, http://www.screwworm.gov/, for the latest updates and information.

 

USDA Screwworm Information

Brucellosis in Sublette County - January 2026

Routine annual surveillance testing identified a brucellosis affected herd in Sublette County. Laboratory testing was conducted at the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, Laramie, and results were confirmed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, Ames, Iowa. The herd is located within Wyoming’s Brucellosis Designated Surveillance Area (DSA). With the addition of this herd, the Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB) has two herds under quarantine for brucellosis, one each in Park and Sublette Counties.  

See the Press Release for more information.

 

Press Release

Information on Wyoming’s EHV-1 Response

Please visit the Wyoming State Livestock board website for the most current updates on the ongoing multi-state Equine Herpes Virs (EHV-1) outbreak.

 

Wyoming State Livestock Board

 

Response and testing capacity: 

The Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory (WSVL) is an American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratory that provides multiple tests for equine herpes viruses. 
Private and regulatory veterinarians can submit samples directly to the laboratory for testing. 
Tests available include a PCR test, which can be run on nasal swabs, blood, or infected tissues.  This test detects viral DNA in the sample, rather than host response to viral exposure. The lab also offers serum virus neutralization, which is a blood test that detects the presence of antibodies to the virus. This does not necessarily indicate active infection, rather when this test is positive, it indicates that there has been exposure to the virus, either through natural infection or vaccination. Visit the WSVL Test and Fee Schedule for more information.
Results from both tests should be interpreted with the help of a veterinarian. 
As a reportable disease, when a test is EHV-1 positive, in addition to the submitter, the result is automatically sent to the Wyoming Livestock Board and the State Veterinarian. The office of the state veterinarian follows up positive cases with recommendations related to tracing contacts, management, and additional testing.
 

Recommended resources: 

EHV-1 spreads easily, and healthy-appearing horses can be carriers. 
The primary means of EHV-1 transmission is horse to horse contact, so isolation of infected horses is key in transmission mitigation. 
Virus particles are shed through secretions, which include nasal discharge and fluids and tissues associated with abortions. Any materials contaminated with secretions from infected horses can carry viral particles and should be disinfected (quaternary ammonium compounds are recommended).
 
The following sites provide additional information:
 
The American Association of Equine Practitioners

The USDA/APHIS
 
Outreach: 

Testing results are communicated immediately to our submitters, and positive cases are also immediately reported to the state veterinarian/Wyoming livestock board for follow up. 

As of 11/24/2025 there have been no EHV1 positive PCR tests at WSVL since the current outbreak began.

 

Good to know: 

Equine herpes virus-1 (the virus associated with the fall 2025 US outbreak) can present as respiratory disease, neurologic disease (equine herpes myeloencephalopathy, EHM), or abortion, but fever and nasal discharge are the most common, and may be the only presenting signs.  
The disease is not transmissible to humans and primarily infects horses.  
EHV-1 outbreaks in horses are not new, and individual cases are common across the U.S. 
Vaccination is an important part of prevention and protocols, including booster vaccinations should be followed to ensure adequate immunity. 
Herpes viruses are capable of becoming latent and can be reactivated (recrudesce) during stressful events.  

Qfever detected in lamb from platte county

We have diagnosed our first positive Q fever case in Wyoming for 2025. Coxiella burnetii was detected in a stillborn lamb from Platte County, Wyoming.

map of wyoming with icon indicating q fever case in platte county

Please see the CDC website at the link below for more information about Q fever.
 

CDC Website

Plague Detected in a Prairie Dog in Carbon County

We have diagnosed our first positive plague case in Wyoming for 2025. Plague (Yersinia pestis) was detected in a prairie dog from Carbon County.