The Australian Animal Health Laboratory at night in Geelong, Victoria.

Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL): a national facility for animal health

CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) is a front line defence – helping to protect Australia from the threat of exotic and emerging animal diseases.

• 21 May 2010 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Summary
• National responsibilities
• Reference laboratory role
• Collaboration

Summary

CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) plays a vital role in maintaining the health of Australia's livestock, aquaculture species and wildlife and ensuring the competitiveness of Australian agriculture and trade.

AAHL is a national centre of excellence in disease diagnosis, research and policy advice in animal health. It is a major facility of CSIRO Livestock Industries.

Through excellent research and quality services, AAHL enhances the international competitiveness of Australia's animal industries, the well-being of Australians and the quality of their environment.

AAHL plays a vital role in maintaining Australia's capability to quickly diagnose exotic (foreign) and emerging animal diseases - collectively known as emergency 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 both exotic and endemic animal diseases of national importance. Major diseases of livestock, aquaculture animals, and wildlife, are studied.

The facility combines a capacity to rapidly diagnose disease with quality research, making it a global leader in a wide range of animal and zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases are those which can pass from animals to people.

AAHL is located at 5 Portarlington Road in Geelong, Victoria, about 70 km south west of Melbourne.

The facility is funded by the Australian Federal Government, via CSIRO and the Australian Federal Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. It is also generates revenue from industry organisations and commercial companies. 

National responsibilities

AAHL is one of the most sophisticated laboratories in the world for the safe handling and containment of animal diseases and its current replacement cost is estimated at A$650 million.

AAHL includes a high-biocontainment facility, to safely fulfil its major role of diagnosing emergency animal disease outbreaks. Samples are usually submitted by the State or Territory animal disease control authority.

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 facility has seven national responsibilities:

• diagnosis of emergency animal diseases, which includes index case confirmation, national emergency response capability and use of accredited and validated tests
• research and development
• supporting national surveillance activities to improve animal disease risk management strategies
• providing technical advice and support to the Australian Federal Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and other stakeholders, both nationally and internationally
• training and education in support of pre-border, border and post-border quarantine
• providing technological support to national and international networks of veterinary laboratories, including quality assurance
• providing expert biosafety and biosecurity advice.
  

Reference laboratory role

Scientists at AAHL help protect Australia's billion dollar livestock and aquaculture industries from exotic disease threats through testing thousands of samples every year, proving continuing freedom from diseases including foot and mouth disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and avian influenza.

The laboratory is a world animal health organisation (Office Internationale des Epizooties - OIE) reference laboratory for:

• avian influenza
• Newcastle disease
• bluetongue disease
• Hendra and Nipah virus diseases
• epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus (EHNV)
• yellowhead disease.

AAHL is also :

• an OIE Collaborating Centre for New and Emerging Diseases
• an OIE Collaborating Centre for Laboratory Capacity Building
• a World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
• a national reference laboratory for rabies and brucella.

Collaboration

Through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), the Australian Government is funding expansion of AAHL's high biocontainment facilities, providing the research community with increased access to its specialised pathogen containment space.

Called the AAHL Collaborative Biosecurity Research Facility (ACBRF), the Australian Government investment has made AAHL's high biocontainment laboratories and a specialist microscopy service available to researchers Australia-wide.

Further biocontainment space is under construction, including a 370 square metre PC4 facility, scheduled to open at the end of 2010.

A PC3 insectary and associated areas are also under development.

Learn more about the AAHL Collaborative Biosecurity Research Facility (ACBRF).