The Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in Sofia opened its doors in the spring of 2018. It is owned by a sole proprietorship with limited liability under the same name.
The Central Veterinary Laboratory – Sofia specializes in performing serological, microbiological, virological, and modern molecular-biological tests on blood (serum), milk, organ, and fecal samples for diagnosis, self-monitoring, and screening of infectious diseases in domestic, wild, and exotic animal species.
The laboratory also conducts physicochemical tests on food products of animal and plant origin: meat and meat products, fish and fish products, milk and dairy products, eggs, and canned goods.
Its accreditation includes methods for detecting prion proteins related to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in cattle and small ruminants (such as BSE, commonly known as “mad cow disease,” and Scrapie in sheep and goats).
The CVL is in the process of being listed in the REGISTER OF EUROPEAN LABORATORIES accredited to conduct tests for prion proteins for TSE and is the ONLY BULGARIAN PRIVATE SECTOR LABORATORY officially accredited for such tests.
The laboratory operates according to established international, European, and national standards and methods defined in the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, OIE.
It meets all the competency requirements for testing laboratories according to BDS EN ISO 17025:2018 and is accredited by the Executive Agency “Bulgarian Accreditation Service.”
The laboratory guarantees the validity of its results by participating in National External Quality Assessment Systems.
The CVL is equipped with modern instruments and apparatus produced by leading global companies.
Highly qualified specialists and accredited individuals with scientific titles, possessing professional skills in the field of laboratory testing, work at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Sofia. The combination of rich practical and scientific experience of the staff with high-tech and modern laboratory equipment ensures precision, accuracy, high quality, and impartiality in the analyses performed.
The CVL participated in a public procurement contract No. 61/18.07.2019 with the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA), where it performed diagnostic laboratory tests on 18,225 brain tissue samples for prion proteins for TSE.
The CVL won and signed a public procurement contract No. 12/17.01.2020 with the BFSA for laboratory-diagnostic tests on 60,000 brain tissue samples for prion proteins for TSE for the period 2020-2021.
The CVL is a partner in the “Veterinary Diagnostics” consortium, which won a public procurement contract No. 28/05.03.2020 with the BFSA for conducting laboratory diagnostic tests as part of the National Program for Prevention, Surveillance, Control, and Eradication of Animal Diseases, including zoonoses in Bulgaria, for the period 2019-2021.
Our clients also include many livestock farms and individual breeders who rely on quick and precise diagnostic tests for self-monitoring purposes.
The head of the laboratory is Prof. Dr. Vanya Chikova, DVM.
The policy of the Central Veterinary Laboratory – Sofia is to operate in accordance with the requirements of BDS ISO/EN 17025:2018.
The laboratory recognizes its responsibility for the impartiality of testing activities, risk assessment, and taking measures to eliminate them.
We guarantee independence and confidentiality regarding all information received or created during the testing process.
We continuously work on modernizing and expanding the services we provide to meet the requirements and needs of our partners for timely, accurate, and reliable results that are essential to their businesses.
