Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

The Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will be offering a rapid, real time PCR for the detection of Canine Parvovirus-2 (CPV) and Feline Parvovirus (FPV, also known as Feline Panleukopenia Virus) starting Monday, April 27.  The test will be offered daily Monday through Friday on canine and feline feces, fecal swabs, rectal swabs, intestine, and intestinal contents with a 1-2 day turnaround for final results.

Real time PCR is able to detect very small amounts of viral DNA, and is considered the gold standard to diagnose CPV and FPV infection.  Recent studies have shown that point-of-care tests (POCT) for parvoviral antigens typically have high specificity (positive results are highly likely to be true positives), but have variable and often low sensitivity.  A negative POCT result does not definitively rule out a parvoviral infection.  Confirmatory PCR testing is recommended for clinically affected animals with negative POCT results.

Shedding of vaccination strains of parvovirus may occur up to 28 days after modified-live vaccination, which could lead to false-positive results in the post-vaccination period.  A healthy, recently vaccinated animal may still have a final non-negative PCR result for CPV or FPV, but not have an active infection.

Our submission guidelines for Francisella tularensis PCR in clinical specimens have changed. Swabs should be submitted in a clean tube with no media added (this includes not using swabs with gel media). This will simplify submission for clinics that do not have our validated media types on hand. It will also provide better quality test results as the lab can ensure that only a validated media type in the correct volume is added to the tube.

Please contact us at 1-800-605-8787 or [email protected] with questions.

Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) Real-Time PCR Subgroups A, B and C:  Starting on July 1, 2025, we are implementing a new testing schedule for aMPV PCR (subgroups A, B, and C). Please note the following changes:

Testing will now be performed on Wednesdays and Fridays only.

Turnaround time is 5–7 business days, as we must account for courier-delivered samples that may arrive later in the week.

Samples received by end of day Tuesday will be tested on Wednesday.

Samples received by noon on Thursday will be tested on Friday.

If you have urgent testing needs outside of this schedule, please contact the MPTL Laboratory Manager to discuss whether off-cycle testing can be arranged.

The UMN Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is excited to announce we will begin offering surgical pathology (biopsy) services on May 12, 2025. Led by Dr. Meg Moore (bio link), this service will provide high-quality, accurate, and actionable diagnostic reports with a focus on timely results and personalized service. For further information and guidelines on sample submission, please refer to the UMN VDL website at: https://vdl.umn.edu/tests-fees/histopathologysurgicalssurgical-biopsy or contact the lab at [email protected] or 612-625-8787.

On April 28, 2025, the Molecular Diagnostics Section at the VDL will offer a PCR test to detect the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in bovine, caprine and feline samples.  Please click here for more details.