Life Technologies

3 Life Technologies | Animal Health to figures in the table below, may be used as a rough guide. The total number of animals tested by oral fluid should be equal to or higher than the appropriate number in the table. The minimum number of samples is 2, in order to lower the impact of a potential false negative result in the laboratory. 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. Detection of infection in at least one animal Group size Percentage of diseased animals within a group 5% 10% 20% Number of samples (95% confidence level) 100 44 25 13 200 50 26 13 300 53 27 13 750 57 28 13 3,000 58 29 13 Preparation • Use a new, clean, unbleached cotton rope of a diameter appropriate to the size/ age of the pigs (approx. 1 cm for weaners and 2 cm for growers/finishers). Do not use synthetic ropes, since these will not absorb the same amount of saliva as cotton. • The length of the rope depends on the means of fixing it in the pen: fixing under the ceiling requires a longer rope, for example, than knotting to the pen wall. • One rope is sufficient to sample up to 10 to 15 pigs. If pens are stocked with more pigs, the number of ropes must be increased. • Use a new rope for each pen. • Use a sterile collection tube for each oral fluid sample (5–12 mL). Tubes should not contain any salts, etc. • In the case of pulse feeding (e.g., liquid feeding systems), try to take samples before or at least 2 hours after feeding, because otherwise pigs are too inactive and will not pay sufficient attention to the rope.

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