By Larry Sater, MS BT/CT Coordinator, Colorado Department of
Public Health & Environment Laboratory Services Division When
the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) was established in 1999,
the goal was to establish accurate, rapid testing methods to
confirm or rule out dangerous bacteria, viruses and toxins that
bioterrorists might unleash on the American public. However,
those same laboratory tools and trained staff do not sit idle
waiting for a bioterrorist threat. A great success of the LRN is
the day-to-day use of these resources in detecting the presence
of select agents in people, pets, livestock and food during
everyday life. If you do not believe me, speak with a seven-
year-old Colorado girl and her parents. Each year, and
especially during the summer, the Colorado Department of Public
Health & Environment Laboratory Services Division (CDPHE)
laboratory is busy testing for West Nile Virus, rabies, plague
and other diseases in both clinical and environmental samples.
On August 27, 2012, the lab received a