BACTERIOLOGY TESTS AND PREFERRED SPECIMENS

Agent/Procedure

Procedure

Specimen

Aerobic bacterial pathogen screen

Culture, Gram stain

Tissue, swab

Anaerobic bacterial pathogen screen

Culture, Gram stain

Tissue, swab, contact lab before collecting specimen

Antibiogram

Kirby Bauer Disk Diffusion

Culture, isolate

Avibacterium paragallinarum

Culture, PCR

Nasal-sinus exudate, swab

Botulinum toxin type C

Bioassay

Serum, stomach content

Brucella spp.

Culture

Tissue, placenta

Campylobacter foetus

Culture, Gram stain

Prepucial wash or scraping in Clarke's media

Chlamydophila

ELISA (antigen capture), Macchiavello stain

Serosal impressions for cytology; dry swab of choana, cloaca, conjunctiva or liver capsule

Clostridium perfringens

Culture, PCR typing - A,B,C,D,E

Intestine, liver

Clostridium spp.

Culture, Gram stain

Tissue, intestine, liver

Dermatophilus

Cytology

Tissue, skin, crusts

Environmental (poultry only)

Salmonella, Aspergillus

Call lab for direction

Fish bacterial pathogens

Culture

Tissue

Fungal

Culture, cytology

Tissue, hair, crust

Leptospira

Dark field microscopy

Tissue, kidney

Listeria

Culture

Tissue, brain

Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis -Johne's disease

Acid Fast Stain, culture, PCR

Intestine, lymph node, feces 3 grams

Mycobacterum bovis or avian strains

Acid Fast Stain (culture, PCR referred to NVSL)

Tissue

Mycoplasma, avian MG/MS/other

Culture, PCR

Trachea, choanal swab

Mycoplasma, mammalian species

Culture, PCR

Lung, respiratory swab, milk

Salmonella

Culture

Tissue, intestine, cecum, lymph node, feces, swab