On the south end of Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus during the spring semester, a critical battle unfolded inside the Willie M. Reed Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory – a high-stakes hub where veterinary diagnostic experts served as disease detectives and every sample was a potential clue in stopping an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on Indiana farms.
Here, under fluorescent lights and the hum of thermocyclers, team members worked sometimes late into the night, piecing together puzzles in the race to safeguard Indiana’s chickens, turkeys and ducks against the emerging disease threat.
The Reed Laboratory is one of two locations that make up the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL). As a first responder in times of agricultural crisis, the ADDL helps protect the health of livestock and – by extension – human food supplies and public health. With a high level of collaboration among ADDL scientists and the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH), the organizations have forged a unique partnership in protecting livestock, public health and the food supply.
At the heart of this partnership are individuals like Dr. Craig Bowen (PU DVM 2011), associate director at the ADDL, which is part of the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Indiana state veterinarian, Dr. Kyle Shipman (PU DVM 2015). During Indiana’s surge of avian influenza cases in winter and spring 2025, they worked in tandem, with the ADDL conducting more than 22,000 tests and BOAH advising poultry producers and helping to eradicate disease.
The official Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for Indiana
Established by the Indiana Legislature in 1945, the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory was one of the first facilities in the United States dedicated exclusively to the diagnosis of animal diseases. It’s accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) and serves as the official veterinary diagnostic lab for Indiana.
In addition to the Reed ADDL, a brick multistoried building located adjacent to Lynn Hall, which is the home of the College of Veterinary Medicine, the laboratory facilities also include the Dennis R. Heeke ADDL in Dubois. Both the Reed ADDL and the Heeke ADDL are owned and operated by Purdue.
With sophisticated equipment in the hands of highly trained and dedicated staff, the two laboratories provide comprehensive veterinary diagnostic testing to Indiana and the rest of the United States.
Safeguarding Indiana’s animals and communities
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health protects Indiana’s investment in animals, from agriculture to companion pets, bolstering the economy and public health. Now 136 years old, BOAH operates under an 11-member board representing industry and veterinary stakeholders, with Dr. Shipman serving as its chief administrative officer.
Poultry is big business in Indiana. The state is the number one producer of duck meat in the United States and is a leader in poultry and poultry product production, including chickens (laying hens and broilers) and meat turkeys. Rapid and accurate testing is vital for identifying and containing potential disease outbreaks to safeguard farmers and the state’s agricultural economy.
Routine surveillance by the ADDL and BOAH is an important part of the disease control equation, as is vigilance on the part of poultry owners.
When backyard owners suspect illness among their flock, they usually call the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Healthy Bird Hotline, which then refers suspected cases to BOAH. When commercial producers discover a problem, they notify BOAH or their veterinarian.
Dr. Shipman’s team triages these calls. If they suspect HPAI or other diseases, field representatives collect samples and send them to the ADDL.
Of the two ADDL locations, the Reed Laboratory has the specialized equipment needed for avian influenza testing, and so all the suspected cases are tested there.
The link between wild birds and poultry health
“HPAI is typically a respiratory virus we see in birds, primarily spread across the country through wild waterfowl,” says Dr. Shipman. Its highly pathogenic nature means that infected poultry succumb to the virus very rapidly, with a high mortality rate.
Transmission often occurs during the spring and fall migratory seasons, when increased bird movement coincides with surges in HPAI cases. Wild waterfowl, including ducks, geese and sandhill cranes, are known carriers of the virus and can contaminate habitats and grazing lands of domestic poultry.
For Indiana, 2025 was an “oddball” year, says Dr. Bowen. The state experienced a mild winter, which disrupted typical bird migration. Some migratory birds stayed instead of continuing their usual journey, while some flew back earlier than normal, factors which may have accounted for an earlier spread of the virus.
Swift action and extensive testing
When HPAI began appearing in January during routine surveillance of wild birds, ADDL and BOAH officials went on high alert. Then the phone calls from farmers started coming in.
As the samples arrived, ADDL staff cleaned and labeled test tubes containing samples, and entered data – a process called accessioning. That was a daunting task during the height of the outbreak, says Dr. Bowen, when they were processing hundreds of samples each day.
From January 1 to June 5, 2025, ADDL personnel tested more than 22,000 samples. They used a process called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), considered the gold standard for detecting avian influenza in poultry.
PCR testing is like a genetic copy machine. It takes a tiny bit of DNA or RNA and makes millions of copies by quickly heating and cooling the sample in cycles.
Every time the cycle repeats, the amount of DNA doubles. This rapid copying, known as exponential amplification, lets scientists find even a trace amount of genetic material. In this way, the PCR test for avian influenza allows the detection of the virus in samples.
Control areas and surveillance zones
Whenever there is a confirmed case of HPAI in Indiana, the producer must depopulate (destroy) and safely dispose of all the poultry on the farm. BOAH then establishes a 10-kilometer radius around the property as a control area. All bird-owning farms within the zone are immediately placed under quarantine and undergo weekly surveillance testing.
Moving birds or poultry products out of this area requires additional testing and permission from BOAH. Time is of the essence, since hatcheries have limited space for newborn birds and need to move them quickly to grow-out facilities.
Similarly, finished broiler chickens and turkeys destined for processing plants must be tested to prevent the virus from entering the food chain. Even table eggs from laying hen facilities and eggs for pasteurized egg products require testing before movement to ensure product safety, even though the pasteurization process eliminates the virus, Dr. Bowen says.
Beyond the control area, a 10-kilometer surveillance zone is set up, where farms are tested every two weeks without quarantine, providing extra reassurance.
During the surge of Indiana cases this year, all of this required testing meant thousands more samples for the ADDL to process quickly so that they could confirm product safety before transport.
Understanding test results
In avian influenza testing for birds, the ADDL is looking for a “non-negative” result – essentially, a preliminary positive. The USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, provides final confirmation, and looks for a clear genetic link between strains of the virus in wild birds and domestic poultry, to better understand the movement of the virus.
However, whenever there are ongoing HPAI events – this current event began in early 2022 – state officials are permitted to start mitigation efforts as soon as they have preliminary results.
In recent months, Dr. Bowen says, Indiana has seen a favorable turn. The last HPAI detection among commercial or backyard poultry in the state was May 2, 2025. While there might still be some detections in wildlife, under USDA classifications, Indiana is now considered free of HPAI among domestic poultry.
A partnership forged in experience
“At the laboratory, we’re very appreciative of our regulatory partners, the vets and other poultry producers, their open communications and being able to work with us at this challenging time – their willingness to get things done as accurately and quickly as we possibly can,” says Dr. Bowen.
He highlights the close collaboration between the ADDL and BOAH during the surge in cases earlier this year. Dr. Bowen estimates that he communicated with Dr. Maria Cooper, BOAH’s avian health division director, up to 20 times a day, often involving Dr. Shipman in three-way calls during what he calls the “witching hours” between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., when results became available.
The partnership between Purdue’s scientists and state officials is unique, says Dr. Sandy San Miguel, PVM’s associate dean for engagement. “I think we take it for granted here in Indiana that there even is a Board of Animal Health in our state, and that they work so closely and have such a great relationship with our veterinary college,” she says.
State law provides the framework for this close collaboration. Unlike some other states, which rely more on the USDA, BOAH takes the lead in Indiana.
This capacity, combined with constant communication with the ADDL, fosters a strong working relationship. The lab’s involvement in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), a USDA program, is also significant, enabling rapid responses to threats like HPAI through proactive drills.
BOAH leadership also advises the ADDL, and ADDL representatives attend BOAH meetings, cementing their joint efforts.
When BOAH needs urgent testing for critical issues, the ADDL prioritizes these requests, even outside normal business hours. “We want people to sleep a little bit better at night,” Dr. Bowen says. That should give all of us reassurance that Indiana’s animal health is in capable and highly collaborative hands.
