The institute performs surveillance, offers diagnostic services and maintain preparedness to deal with emergency disease situations and other important matters related to health and environment.
The institute is the national reference laboratory for fish diseases, for infectious agents like Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, and an international reference laboratory for the viral fish disease Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) and the fish parasite Gyrodactylus salaris.
The institute works extensively with various monitoring and control programmes aimed at both fish and shellfish, as well as terrestrial animals.
The National Veterinary Institute collects data on importantant diseases of farmed salmonids and marine fish in norwegian aquaculture. The results are presented in a yearly report in norwegian and english.
The Norwegian Zoonosis Centre
Zoonosis means diseases that cross over from animals or fish to humans or the other way round. Through the Norwegian Zoonosis Centre, the National Veterinary Institute collects, analyses and presents epidemiological data on zoonoses and zoonotic agents in Norway as a basis for preventing any infectious spread of zoonoses through feed, food, animals and animal products. The work also includes the coordination of the monitoring of antibiotics consumption and resistance in veterinary medicine. It covers fish and seafood and marine bacteria. The Norwegian Zoonosis Centre reports to national and international authorities, prepares condition reports and organizes seminars on relevant topics.
The National Veterinary Institute is comprised of the central laboratory and administration located in Oslo, with regional diagnostic laboratories along the coast in Sandnes, Bergen, Trondheim, Harstad and Tromsø.