Illinois Department of Agriculture - Animal Disease Laboratories
Centralia - Galesburg - Springfield - University of Illinois, VDL
Laboratory User's Manual
 



Fees
Contacts
Submissions 		Necropsy
Histopathology
Bacteriology 		Mycology
Virology
Serology 		Immunology
Toxicology
Toxicology Chemistry
Parasitology
Endocrinology
Clinical Pathology

Rabies
Reportable Diseases
Consideration

* These pages are best viewed when the browser is NOT set to large font settings
 (Revised 3-11-01) Web Designer: Lou Ann Miller

Serology

 

Collect blood samples in clear sterile tubes (Vacutainer tubes). Fill tubes 3/4 full and allow to stand at room temperature for a few hours to permit a solid clot to form and retract. It is recommended that the serum be removed and the sample refrigerated. If the serum is to be held, it should be frozen. Do not freeze whole blood or samples with the clot remaining.

Many serological procedures require using live tissue cultures. Hemolyzed, contaminated, or toxic samples cannot be used.

Serum samples in the conventional Bangs tubes are toxic, samples received in Bangs tubes will not be processed.

For meaningful diagnostic interpretation, in most infections, 10 – 14 days are required for the development of demonstrable antibodies. If a blood sample is drawn during the acute phase of a disease a second sample should be drawn 10 – 21 days later.

Identify each sample individually. Accompany the sera with a serology form listing the identification numbers or names. Identification should also be on the vial and NOT on the stopper. If tests requested are for export, list test required.

Contact laboratory for specifics.

 

Serology Available for Abortion and Respiratory Diseases

Cattle:
Abortion diagnosis series for cattle: Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Brucellosis, Leptospirosis. Respiratory diagnosis series for cattle: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Parainfluenza-3 (PI-3).

Horses:
Abortion diagnosis series for horses: Equine Rhinopneumonitis (EHV-1), Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA), Leptospirosis. Respiratory diagnosis series for horses: Equine Rhinopneumonitis (EHV-1), Equine Influenza (EInf), Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA).

Sheep and Goats:
Abortion diagnosis series for sheep and goats: Bluetongue (BT), Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP)/Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE), Toxoplasmosis, Leptospirosis, Brucellosis.

Swine:
Abortion diagnosis series for swine: Parvovirus, Pseudorabies (PRV), Leptospirosis, Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS). Fetal fluids are of special importance for diagnosis of Parvovirus and Enteroviruses (SMEDI), and PRRS.

See Appendix E