In both responses a mobile field laboratory was set up in a portable building with further space in the temporary field headquarters modified for laboratory work.
Veronica Herrera, MPI’s director of investigation diagnostic centres and response, said the cramped facilities took some days to become fully operational and had to be removed when the investigation ended.
“The new labs are designed to be picked up and transported to the field by truck and can be ‘plugged in’ to our field HQ’s power and water systems. This means our laboratory function can be up and running within a day of the response starting.”
In a fruit fly investigation, several laboratory tasks take place – the examination of any insects trapped in the high-risk area, the slicing of fruit collected from the area to look for fruit fly eggs or larvae and the incubation of fallen fruit that may contain eggs or larvae so any hatching insects could be identified.
“We need this mobile laboratory capability to be moved into the surveillance zone to maintain quarantine.
“The new portable labs meet fruit fly containment requirements and have suitable lighting and ventilation flows to ensure that quarantine is maintained.
“The two units work in relationship with each other and include adequate space for the entomologists (insect specialists).”
Herrera said MPI now has better examination and inspection facilities, improved containment, greater flexibility at the site headquarters and cheaper establishment costs.
“Our deployment time is reduced and this means field samples can now begin to be given laboratory examination earlier in the response.”
