The bacteriological laboratory of the Poultry Centre started its operations in 1967, when the first veterinary – bacteriologist started her work in the diagnostics of bacterial and fungal poultry diseases. As the Poultry Centre did not have its own premises, she worked at the laboratory of the Institute for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. In 1972, the Centre organized its own bacteriological laboratory including the services of another veterinarian, who soon organized her own independent mycological laboratory. Until 1980, the bacteriological laboratory served primarily for fast resolving of poultry diseases of bacteriological aetiology, but in order to fulfil the growing needs of bacteriological diagnostics and introduction of new diagnostic methods in 1982, another veterinarian and a lab technician joined the Laboratory. In the course of 25 years, the Laboratory has systematically monitored and performed the diagnostics of bacterial diseases that have great significance in the poultry pathology.

Currently, in addition to the routine diagnostics, the Laboratory is the national reference laboratory for Salmonella spp. Because of the significant growth of infections with non-specific invasive Salmonella serovars in the recent 15 years - S. typhimurium and specifically S. enteritidis in poultry, the program of control and prevention was made to reduce Salmonella infections to the minimum and keep them controlled and to protect the human health. The speed and quality of diagnostics in the Laboratory was improved by the introduction of ATB identification system which may identify bacteria automatically, after 4 or 24 hours of incubation. The aim of the most recent research by bacteriologists in the world is determination of phenotype and genotype characteristics of various strains of the same bacteria species and recognition of close relation of the strains isolated from the same epizooty or chain of spreading. Good knowledge of epizootiological characteristics of bacteria opens the new options for control and prevention of bacterial infections in poultry which are currently a major issue in the global poultry farming. The most recent knowledge in Salmonella epidemiology points to an increased need for introduction of phagotyping and molecular methods in the following period of the laboratory operations. Based on such research, with permanent typing and sub-typing of isolates, it will be possible to discover the incidence and changes in the incidence of specific genotypes (clones) of the same bacteria species, routes of their spreading and their survival in the nature.
Basic activities of the Laboratory are: diagnostics of bacterial and fungal poultry diseases, identification of isolated bacteria and fungi on ATB identification system by means of API sequences, determination of susceptibility of isolated bacteria on antibiotics by disk diffusion method, determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations by means of E-test and dilution method, serotyping of Salmonella spp. bacteria and E. coli isolates and field visits as required and at clients’ requests. Since January 2009, the Laboratory has been appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development the National Reference Laboratory for Salmonella spp. in Poultry. As such, the Laboratory collects and stores and conducts the serotyping all submitted non-serotyped salmonellas isolated from poultry in accredited laboratories. In February last year, the Laboratory organized the inter-laboratory proficiency testing “Salmonella spp. in poultry” including six accredited laboratories. The testing results were satisfactory. In the course of 2010, the Laboratory took part in the basic study conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development on determination of prevalence and resistance of Campylobacter spp. on antimicrobial products in broiler flocks and determination of prevalence of Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. in broiler flocks.