Animal Health, an integral part of Public Health, is treated within the Laboratory for Diagnosing Transmissible Animal Diseases (LADIMAT), which is divided into three departments:

• Serology
• Virology
• Diagnostic Microbiology, Anatomo-histopathology, Parasitology and Mycology

The Laboratory's activities, which are directed at safeguarding animal health through diagnosis of diseases, are of primary importance to the production chain of foods of animal origin. A product is wholesome when it comes from healthy animals, reared according to good production practices, in observance of the rules about animal welfare.

Within the territory under its jurisdiction, the Institute carries on this activity through Eradication and Surveillance National Plans. LADIMAT provides consultancy to livestock farmers, to professional vets and to the official Veterinary Service, with particular reference to zoonoses.

The Laboratory offers technical and scientific support to public and private bodies in matters of health and protection of wildlife. It also carries out research directed at the development of new techniques for the diagnosis of animal diseases and the study of pathologies correlated with viruses, bacteria and mycetes in domestic and wild animals.

The National Reference Centre for Brucellosis and the OIE Reference Laboratories for Brucellosis and Bluetongue all operate within LADIMAT.

The Laboratory is involved in cooperation projects with African countries such as Eritrea and Namibia, in a spirit of mutual cultural growth and exchange of professional experiences.

Head Laboratory: Dr. Massimo Scacchia

The Serology department is concerned with research into and diagnosis of infective diseases, using the commonest serological methods, such as rapid and slow seroagglutination, complement fixation, indirect and competitive ELISA tests, indirect immunofluorescence, immunodiffusion in agar gel and MAT.

The department also conducts rapid tests for identifying prion proteins (BSE and Scrapie) by means of the LIA test, manages the National Serum Bank and performs high-level consultancy work for the Ministry of Health and research for the National Reference Centre for Brucellosis and for the OIE Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis.

In the sphere of the work of the Institute's Reference Centres and Laboratories, the Serology Department organizes, manages and takes part in interlaboratory circuits at national and international level.

Head Department: Dr. Manuela Tittarelli

The Virology Department is concerned with research into and diagnosis of the commonest and most important infections of viral origin, has a Maximum Security Unit (level 3) and is equipped with an electron microscope.

Using the most accurate and modern virological and serological diagnostic tests, the Department detects or identifies agents, antigens or antibodies of viral diseases which strike domestic and wild mammals, birds and fish, as well as diseases transmissible to people (zoonoses) and exotic diseases, i.e. those not present on Italian soil.

In the sphere of the National Plans prepared by the Ministry of Health, the Virology Department participates in surveillance of emerging and re-emerging viral infections and over the years has acquired particular skill in Bluetongue, of which it has become an OIE Reference Laboratory.

The Department collaborates in research on aetiology and pathogenesis of infectious and contagious diseases of viral origin, and also tests the vaccines produced by the Institute and those produced outside.

Its diagnostic competence is assured by its participation in national and international interlaboratory circuits.

Head Department: Dr. Giovanni Savini

The Diagnostic Microbiology, Anatomo-histopathology, Parasitology and Mycology Department is concerned with the ascertainment of the causes of pathologies of farmed animals and wild animals .

The Department carries out clinical and anatomo-pathological examination, isolation and identification of bacteria, mycetes and  parasites, using traditional methods, automated systems and molecular biology techniques (PCR, for example) with particular regard to zoonotic agents (Trichinella spp., Brucella spp., Micobacterium spp., Salmonella spp., etc.), to agents which cause economic losses on livestock farms (E. coli, Clostridium spp., Chlamydia spp., Mycoplasma spp., etc.) and to aetiological agents of bacterial diseases for which the Institute is an OIE Reference Laboratory and/or National Reference Centre (Brucellosis, Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia).

The Department also performs histological examinations and ultrastructural studies on tissue samples to investigate both animal pathologies and pathogenetic processes, with particular regard to veterinary oncology, Pulmonary Adenomatosis of sheep and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP).

Within the Department, support work is carried out for the Entomological Surveillance Plan against Bluetongue; a national network of insect traps allows it to provide epidemiological information on insects of the genus Culicoides which are the vectors of the disease.

Finally, the Department is the corporate reference point in the matter of microscopy, BSE, meat & bone meal in feedingstuff and enteric pathology of rabbits: all of these are activities to which the staff are committed in national workgroups and research groups and for purposes of internal and external corporate training.

Head Department: Dr. Massimo Scacchia