PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Robust testing capacity was necessary for public health agencies to respond to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. As the nation faced the need for robust testing capacity, it became necessary to use all possible resources. In many cases, veterinary diagnostic laboratories rose to meet this demand because these facilities routinely perform high throughput diagnostic testing of large animal populations and are typically familiar with pathogens of high pandemic concern. In this study, we evaluated the impact of veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the United States on SARS-CoV-2 testing. Results of surveys, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of publicly available information showed that veterinary diagnostic laboratories had a substantial impact on human health through population-level testing in the COVID-19 response, supporting timely and informed public health interventions. This success was not without significant hurdles, as many participating veterinary diagnostic laboratories experienced restriction in their response due to difficulties obtaining the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification required to conduct human diagnostic testing. Our results point out the importance of reducing hurdles before the next major public health emergency to enhance access to testing resources overall and to ultimately improve population health.
摘要：
在冠状病毒病19（COVID-19）大流行期间，公共卫生机构需要强大的检测能力来应对严重的急性呼吸道综合症冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）。由于国家面临强大的测试能力的需求，有必要使用所有可能的资源。在许多情况下,兽医诊断实验室的兴起，以满足这一需求，因为这些设施通常执行大动物种群的高通量诊断测试，并通常熟悉的病原体的高度流行的关注。在这项研究中,我们评估了美国兽医诊断实验室对SARS-CoV-2检测的影响.调查结果,半结构化面试,对公开信息的分析表明，通过COVID-19反应中的人群水平检测，兽医诊断实验室对人类健康产生了重大影响，支持及时和知情的公共卫生干预措施。这一成功并非没有重大障碍，因为许多参与的兽医诊断实验室由于难以获得进行人体诊断测试所需的临床实验室改进修正案（CLIA）认证而在响应方面受到限制。我们的研究结果指出了在下一次重大公共卫生紧急事件发生之前减少障碍的重要性，以增加整体检测资源的获取并最终改善人口健康。
