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A unique facility of the of the University of Maryland is the
Aquatic Pathobiology Center (APC). The APC, is part of the Department of Veterinary Medicine,
College of Agriculture and
Natural Resources at the UM
College Park campus. The Department of Veterinary Medicine
serves as the Maryland campus of the Virginia-Maryland
Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM).
The APC houses research and holding facilities
for work with a variety of freshwater and marine organisms. This
laboratory supports departmental and interdepartmental research
as well as graduate degree programs through the Department
of Biology's Bioacoustics
Laboratory (UMCP), Department
of Pathology (UMB), the Department
of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (UMB), the Department
of Animal Sciences (UMCP), the Systemwide
Program in Toxicology and the Marine
Estuarine Environmental Sciences (MEES) Program.
The 4,000 sq. ft. Aquatic Pathobiology Center houses a central
fish culture area, isolated experiment rooms, two toxicological
bioassay suites, necropsy and tissue preparation rooms, a modern
research laboratory, a machine and glass shop, a conference room/library,
a computer laboratory, and student areas and offices. The central
culture area contains multiple flow-through and recirculating
systems housing various freshwater and marine species. Eleven
150-gallon high-density polyethylene tanks, used for holding specially
prepared or hauled water, are available for culture and testing
of freshwater, marine and estuarine organisms with consistent
water quality. An uninterupted, dedicated water filtration
and delivery system , non-chemically dechlorinates and distributes
water to tanks throughout the Center. This specialized facility
provides an excellent environment to study aquatic organisms.
Additional facilities include specialized biochemistry, tissue
culture, and electron microscopy laboratories. The Aquatic Pathobiology
Center collaborates with other University of Maryland departments
and campuses, the VA-Regional College of Veterinary Medicine,
as well as other academic institutions including the Comparative
Medicine Department of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the Center
for Veterinary Medicine at the US FDA, the Center of Marine Biotechnology,
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, George Washington University
and the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
Room A: Necropsy Room.
Room B: Holding and Maintenance. Multiple static and flow-through
aquaria, 50-150 gallons.
Room C: Holding and Maintenance. Saltwater recirculating system,
500 gallons.
Room D: Holding and Maintenance: Saltwater recirculating system,
500 gallons.
Room E: Holding and Maintenance: Multiple static and flow-through
aquaria, 50-150 gallons.
Room F: Exposure and Bacteriology Room. Multiple static and flow-through
aquaria, 20-150 gallons.
Room G: Toxicology Preparation Room: Three 150-gallon dilution
water carboys, dilutors, proportional pumps.
Room H: Behavioral Toxicology Room: Tweleve flow-through exposure
vessels with computer-automated videography.
