Further microbiological examinations

If infectious diseases are suspected, affected organs or suitable samples can be taken and sent to a specialized y laboratory for detection of  pathogens. As a rule, this is done in collaboration with the diagnostic laboratories established at the Vetsuisse Faculty. Tests that cannot be carried out here are accessible by sending suitable samples to external laboratories in Switzerland and abroad. In the event of suspicion or a request for exclusion, samples can also be frozen and forwarded at a later date if necessary, as an alternative to initiating such tests immediately, depending on the pathogen at dissection. However, this procedure is not suitable for bacteriological cultures.

Probennahme Pathologie
VONSCHUBERTPHOTO

The standard procedures for frequently requested but complex bacterial pathogen detection are listed below. Unless otherwise indicated, these tests are carried out at the ZOBA (Center for Zoonoses, Bacterial Animal Diseases and Antibiotic Resistance) of the Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology.

E. coli

Pigs

Enteral forms (ETEC, EPEC, STEC)

  • Culture of up to 2 animals per case, small and large intestine
  • Genotyping of main isolate or, in doubtful cases, 2 isolates (decision made by ZOBA)

Sepsis/polyarthritis

  • Culture
  • Antibiogram
  • No genotyping

Calves/small ruminants

  • Culture of up to 2 animals per case, small and large intestine
  • Serotyping for K99; if negative, genotyping
  • Antibiogram upon request

Other animal species

Culture and genotyping for intestinal pathogens for rabbits upon request

Mycoplasma

Pigs

Enzootic pneumonia (M. hyopneumoniae)

  • Material: Lesions of lungs from 1-3 animals
  • Procedure: PCR

Polyarthritis/polyserositis (M. hyorhinis, M. hyosynoviae)

  • Material: Intact or sterile punctured joint, organ, serosal swab
  • Procedure: Culture, typing by MALDI-TOF and/or sequencing

Cattle

Bronchopneumonia (M. bovis)

  • Material: Lung
  • Procedure: Culture, typing by MALDI-TOF and/or sequencing

Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (M. mycoides)

  • Material: Lung
  • Procedure: PCR, ELISA

Other animal species

  • Material: Affected organs
  • Procedure: Culture, typing by MALDI-TOF and/or sequencing

Glaesserella parasuis (Glaesser`s disease of pigs)

  • Detection only possible on freshly dead pigs (samples must be able to be taken max. 6 h post mortem)
  • Sending alive for euthanasia and direct dissection
  • Material for detection: Halved brain (sawn lengthwise), joint, serosal swab
  • Procedure: Culture

Clostridia

C. perfringens type D in ruminants

  • Rapid test for epsilon toxin in feces
  • Culture and genotyping on request

C. perfringens A-E (all animal species)

  • Material: affected organs
  • Procedure: Culture & genotyping (A-E)

C. chauvoei (rubella)

  • Material: affected muscle
  • Procedure: IF and culture

C. botulinum (botulism)

Material: Dispatch of suitable samples (intestinal content) to laboratory in Germany

Other clostridia (C. septicum, C. sordellii, C. novyi)

  • Material: affected organs
  • Procedure: Culture and subsequent typing

Brachyspires

Samples sent to Bacteriology Zurich

  • Material: large intestine
  • Procedure: Culture and typing

Lawsonia

  • Detection of pathological lesions in necropsy and histology
  • Confirmation of histological suspicion by means of immunohistochemical detection
  • In doubtful cases, shipment of frozen samples to a laboratory in Germany for quantitative molecular biological detection
    • Material: affected intestinal section with contents
    • Procedure: real-time PCR

Mycological detection

Culture and determination in IVB (on request)