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. 
     

Fee Schedule

Announcements

 

Below is a detailed schedule of WSVL hours and services, and some additional information for testing over the upcoming holidays.

  • WSVL Holiday Schedule
    • Thursday, December 18th:  Last day to ship samples to WSVL. This should ensure your packages are received no later than Tuesday, December 23rd.
    • Monday, December 22nd and Tuesday December 23rd: Normal WSVL hours and operations
    • Wednesday, December 24th-Thursday, January 1st: WSVL CLOSED-No courier packages received ,WSVL dropbox will not be checked
    • Friday, January 2nd: Return to normal WSVL hours and operations

 

  • Additional, section specific notifications:
    • Diagnostic Serology:
      • All serum samples can be received up to Dec 18th for results the following week.
      • After the holidays, serum neutralization (S/N) tests can be received starting on January 8th (Thursday).
      • For all other Diagnostic Serology tests, we can receive serum starting on Jan 2nd (Friday).
    • For Trich testing:
      • Mail/ship submissions no later than 12/19
      • The last Trich PCR run will occur on 12/23
      • Samples received on or after 12/23 will be processed on 1/2/26

 

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

2025 Q Fever Map

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 WSVL testing: https://www.uwyo.edu/wyovet/client-services/fee-schedule.html 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
https://aaep.org/resource/aaep-infectious-disease-guidelines-equine-herpesvirus-1-4/
 
The USDA/APHIS
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/equine/herpesvirus
 
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.