Life Technologies

2 Life Technologies | Animal Health Detection of bacterial respiratory pathogens—Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) can be tested by culture for the presence of a range of bacterial pathogens causing pneumonia, including A. pleuropneumonia, B. bronchiseptica, P. multocida, etc. A careful interpretation is recommended when commensals of the upper respiratory tract, such as H. parasuis, M. hyorhinis, or S. suis, are found in BALF; such findings are often associated with contamination during sampling. Detection of viral respiratory pathogen and M. hyopneumoniae RNA/DNA (PCR-based tests)—The presence of pneumonia-causing pathogens that are difficult to cultivate, such as M. hyopneumoniae, PRRSV, PCV-2, SIV, etc., can be confirmed in BALF by PCR. Animal selection Deciding which animals to take samples from depends on the desired outcome: Detection of infection—Select animals with clinical signs. Absence of infection—Select animals with clinical signs considered typical; if there are no symptoms present, take samples from animals selected at random during a walk through the pens. Tracking infection status over time (i.e., longitudinal examination)—Take the first samples on day 1 and repeat sampling from the same animals at appropriate time intervals. To determine the infection status in different groups (i.e., cross-sectional examination)—Take samples from animals of different ages, e.g., 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks of age. Sample size For diagnosis of respiratory disease, a minimum of 5 affected pigs per (age) group should be sampled. If BALF is used for monitoring, the sample size usually has to be larger, i.e., 10 pigs or more per group. Sample sizes may vary based on in-herd prevalence level of a disease, the tested disease itself, confidence level of the outcome, the requested test method, and the purpose of the sampling. Diagnostic use

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