The Role of Veterinary Laboratories in COVID-19 Serological Screening

Veterinary laboratories are stepping up their efforts in the fight against COVID-19, notably by offering PCR screening tests since April 5. The French Veterinary Academy is also calling for efforts to conduct serological tests.   Under two decrees issued on April 5 and 14, veterinary laboratories and companies can participate in screening for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus by conducting COVID-19 RT-PCR tests and producing COVID-19 PCR reagents. To date, the veterinary community can perform 20,000 tests per day, for a total of 300,000 tests per week. Of the 70 veterinary laboratories, about 40 have already been called upon, and three companies have received approval from the National Reference Center (Institut Pasteur) for their RT-PCR tests. To strengthen this effort, on April 28, the French Veterinary Academy requested that these same facilities be called upon to conduct and produce COVID-19 serological tests, as is already the case in Italy and Germany. Veterinary laboratories are, in fact, well-equipped to handle the situation. All are accredited in serology and have the distinct advantage of possessing automated systems capable of processing large volumes of samples, as well as “open” systems. In contrast, clinical laboratories have machines that only work with tests from certain manufacturers (“closed” systems). As a result, veterinary laboratories could perform up to 80,000 serological tests per day, or 500,000 per week. Veterinary companies, for their part, could produce more than one million serological tests per week. The French Veterinary Academy is calling on public authorities to mobilize veterinary reagent manufacturers and departmental veterinary laboratories to substantially increase the capacity for conducting serological tests. Serological screening is particularly valuable for assessing herd immunity among the French population, information that is crucial for the country’s strategy for lifting lockdown measures.