The Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory’s (SEPRL) provides solutions to national and international exotic, emerging and endemic poultry disease problems that impact poultry and potentially human health. The research program includes diagnostics, prevention, and control strategies, prediction of disease outbreak, molecular epidemiology, and building a better understanding disease pathogenesis.

SEPRL scientists also provides science-based solutions to exotic poultry diseases that inhibit international trade in poultry and poultry products. This especially includes developing practical and improved diagnostic tools including air samplers and creating vaccines.

This includes diseases such as avian influenza, West Nile virus, Newcastle Disease and Marek’s disease herpes virus.

For example, SEPRL researchers have developed special tests to quickly detect avian influenza and Newcastle disease outbreaks as well as biosecurity measures to protect the poultry industry from these diseases. These tests have been instrumental in protecting the U.S. poultry industry from disease issues that could impact international trade.

They also invented a highly sensitive diagnostic test to detect viruses associated with poult enteritis complex, The test allows the detection of several types of viruses at one time. Current diagnostic methods for PEC-associated viruses have limitations because of poor analytic specificity and sensitivity.

The Laboratory has two research units:

Exotic and Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research Unit

The Unit’s mission is to conduct basic and applied research on avian influenza, Newcastle disease, West Nile and other exotic and emerging viruses of poultry and other birds. The goal of our research program is to produce new research knowledge and technology to:

Provide science-based solutions to exotic poultry diseases that inhibit international trade in poultry and poultry products
Understand the pathogenesis of these viruses in poultry
Determine through molecular epidemiology the source for disease outbreaks
Improve our understanding of the mechanisms for transfer of zoonotic viruses from birds-to-man.

Endemic Poultry Viral Diseases Research Unit
Our mission is to conduct basic and applied research on avian metapneumovirus, enteric viruses of turkeys and Marek’s disease herpes virus. The goal of our research program is to produce new research knowledge and technology to:

Provide science-based solutions to minimize productivity and economic losses from domestic poultry diseases
Determine through molecular epidemiology the source for disease outbreaks
Determine biological and molecular virulence characteristics of these viruses with the goal of minimizing their impact
Develop practical and improved diagnostic tools including air samplers
Develop or improve vaccines and vaccine delivery methods
Determine the role of immunity during infections
Determine the effects of secondary infections on the development of disease
Develop engineering systems for reducing transmission and development of disease.