LCV facilities
The Central Laboratory Veterinary (LCV) was inaugurated in the 70´s as an Animal Health and Livestock Production Laboratory for the central region of Spain depending on the Ministry of Agriculture. Since 1986, after Spain's adhesion to the European Union (EU), LCV has been designated National Reference Laboratory for several animal diseases.
In 1992, after leading diagnostic activities for African Horse Sickness eradication in Spain, LCV was designated European Union Reference Laboratory for AHS, and one year later (1993), Reference Laboratory for AHS by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Bluetongue has historically affected southern European countries, including Spain. Therefore LCV, as NRL for BT in Spain, has a long experience leading diagnostic activities and coordinating the official laboratory network in Spain, as well as carrying out other relevant tasks such as to collaborate with private companies to get inactivated vaccines on the market to control the disease. LCV has been designated European Union Reference Laboratory for Bluetongue in 2019, after Brexit.
The LCV is located on a farm with a surface area of more than 10 hectares, with 24-hour security, in an industrial zone (El Nogal industrial estate), just outside the Algete municipality.
In order to carry out the activities that it is responsible for, it has two laboratory and administrative buildings and two other animal welfare buildings.
LCV is included in the RE-LAB (Biological Alert Laboratory Network in Spain).
MAIN BUILDING
It is the oldest building. The ground floor houses the administrative area, where the Department that manages the Integrated Management System is located.
The first floor is occupied by LBS1 laboratories, where the different departments of the LCV Molecular Genetic Area are located. This area carries out genetic identification analyses of animal species and breeds, detection of GMOs in feed and identification of the PrPn gene for susceptibility to Scrapie.
ANIMAL HEALTH AREA
The building that houses this area was inaugurated in 2009. It has a service area on the ground floor, where it is worth highlighting the Sample Registration Department, where all samples received are registered in a computer system (GESTILAB) to guarantee their traceability at all times.
Laboratory rooms (LBS2 and LBS3) are located on floors 1st and 2nd. There is a specific laboratory for the diagnosis of diseases caused by Orbivirus in each biosafety level.
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| Orbivirus laboratory in BSL2 | Access gate to BSL3 | BSL3 material exit area |
ANIMAL FACILITIES
The LCV has an ABS2 Animal House building to handle both small laboratory animals and other species of production animals (sheep, goats, pigs, chickens).
In addition there is an SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) animal building, in which animals are kept to produce reagents needed for diagnostic activities, such as embryonated chicken eggs, porcine blood monocytes, or serum from various species.
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| ABS2 Animal House building | Sheep in ABS2 immunised with inactivated Bluetongue virus |
Outdoor animal house area. Donor animals for reagent production |