The National Centers for Animal Health, a new building to be used by three separate centers of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, officially opened in Ames on July 3.

“[The USDA] is building some new facilities,” said Teresa Herold, program analyst for the National Animal Disease Center, one of the centers using the new Ames facility.

Herold said although the National Animal Disease Center, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Center for Veterinary Biologics have been in Ames for some time, the new building is part of what the USDA is referring to as a “modernization” process, which will include the construction of other new facilities as well.

The new building was designed for high-containment animal health work, Herold said. This means that disease-causing organisms can be safely studied in the building without contaminating the surrounding area.

“It allows you to work with organisms that spread through the air,” Herold said.

Because of the nature of the diseases being studied in the new facility, it has specialized air handling and filtration systems, Herold said.

The building operates at negative air pressure, she said, meaning air is allowed to enter the building but is unable to go out, even through cracks that may develop in walls over time.

Filters are installed similar to those used in hospitals, which allows for air to leave the building in an exclusively regulated manner.

Herold said those working in the building are also required to wear protective clothing and gear, but the specific kind of clothing depends on the nature of the disease being studied.

The National Animal Disease Center is the research-conducting entity using the new facility, Herold said.

Those working for the National Animal Disease Center conduct research on diseases that are economically important to U.S. livestock, she said.

In addition to research, the building is the location for diagnostic testing and the regulation of biologics – such as vaccines – which are performed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Center for Veterinary Biologics, respectively.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratories conduct diagnostic testing for the veterinary services unit of the USDA, said Josh Smith, spokesman for the National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

“People submit samples to us for diagnostic testing, and we report the results from those tests,” Smith said.

The samples are received from a variety of places, he said, including state, private and international laboratories. More than 70,000 submissions are analyzed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in a year, he said.

Finally, the Center for Veterinary Biologics is a regulatory center, which exists to ensure that such things as vaccines are safe, potent and effective, Smith said.