The Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) plays a vital role in maintaining the health of Australia’s livestock, aquaculture species and wildlife.
Summary
The Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) is a national centre of excellence in disease diagnosis, research and policy advice in animal health. AAHL is a major facility of CSIRO Livestock Industries.
The national facility plays a vital role in maintaining the health of Australia's livestock, aquaculture species and wildlife.
Opened in 1985 at a cost of over A$185 million, AAHL is one of the most sophisticated laboratories in the world for the safe handling and containment of animal diseases.
The facility is crucial in maintaining Australia's capability to quickly diagnose exotic (foreign) and emerging animal diseases. This is achieved through ongoing research programs to develop the most sensitive, accurate and timely diagnostic tests, which are critical to the success of any eradication campaign in the event of a disease outbreak.
AAHL also undertakes research to develop new diagnostic tests, vaccines and treatments for endemic animal diseases of national importance. Major diseases of livestock, aquaculture animals, and wildlife, are studied.
The facility includes a high-biocontainment area, to safely fulfil its major role of diagnosing emergency animal disease outbreaks. Within the high biocontainment facility, AAHL contains modern animal facilities that can house a range of animal species up to physical containment level four (PC4), the highest level available.
The laboratory is a world animal health organisation (Office Internationale des Epizooties- OIE) reference laboratory for a range of animal diseases including avian influenza, Hendra virus and Nipah virus.
AAHL is also:
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an OIE Collaborating Centre for New and Emerging Diseases
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an OIE Collaborating Centre for Laboratory Capacity Building
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a World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
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a national reference laboratory for rabies and brucella.
AAHL is funded by the Australian Federal Government, via CSIRO and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. It also generates revenue from industry organisations and commercial companies.
Location
AAHL is located at 5 Portarlington Road in Geelong, Victoria, about 70 km south west of Melbourne.
The main access road from Melbourne is the Princes Highway (National Highway No 1) and is a minimum dual carriage-way in both directions. Segments of the highway are freeway status. Traveling time by vehicle is approximately 60 minutes from the Melbourne central business district.
Travelling by car - directions from Tullamarine Airport to AAHL
On leaving the terminal car parks take the road to Melbourne (over the first fly-over) and take the left exit (for Geelong and West Gate Freeway) onto the Western Ring Road freeway.
Please note that there are two exits for the Western Ring Road. The second exit is to Geelong. Take the Geelong exit ramp onto the Princes Highway (heading west). The distance from this point to the outskirts of Geelong is 60kms.
At the outskirts of Geelong the freeway status of the highway ends and you will enterindustrial areas on the left and residential areas on the right. Shell Oil Refinery and Ford car plant are on your left. Follow the main highway until you pass over the flyover above railway lines onto Latrobe Terrace.
CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) plays a crucial role in maintaining Australia's capability to diagnose emergency animal disease.
Turn left at McKillop Street and proceed to the end of the road (past a cemetery on your right). Turn left at Boundary Road and proceed across the traffic lights to the entry of AAHL.
Travelling by car - directions from Avalon Airport to AAHL
On leaving the terminal car park turn left onto Beach Road taking the exit to Geelong. Follow the road and turn left at the overpass to enter the Princes Highway. From this point the drive into Geelong should take you approximately 25 minutes.
At the outskirts of Geelong the freeway status of the highway ends and you will enter industrial areas on the left and residential areas on the right. Shell Oil Refinery and Ford car plant are on your left. Follow the main highway until you pass over the flyover above railway lines onto Latrobe Terrace.
Turn left at McKillop Street and proceed to the end of the road (past a cemetery on your right). Turn left at Boundary Road and proceed across the traffic lights to the entry of AAHL.
Facilities in the region
The Geelong region is home to a number of research institutions including:
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Barwon Health
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ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals
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Deakin University
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Gordon Institute of TAFE
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Pathcare Consulting Pathologists
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Department of Primary Industries Victoria (Marine and Freshwater Systems).
Infrastructure building and expansion at AAHL
Improvements and upgrades going on at AAHL include:
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major capital replacement and upgrade works (funded by CSIRO)
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construction of a new Diagnostic Emergency Response Laboratory (funded by CSIRO and the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF))
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an additional 2 000 m² of secure microbiological laboratories at AAHL for use by researchers external to CSIRO.
The development of additional secure microbiological laboratories project is an initiative of the Australian Government being conducted as part of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
Research at AAHL
Research conducted at AAHL includes:
The Diagnosis, Surveillance and Response Group delivers CSIRO's national responsibilities in the area of emergency terrestrial animal and fish diseases, including diseases of wildlife and zoonotic diseases. |  |
Newly emerging diseases and devastating livestock plagues pose a constant threat to human health and well-being as well as to Australia's livestock industries. Through research into their detection and methods for limiting spread, CSIRO is helping to protect public health, animal health, community resilience and trade. |  |
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