4 Life Technologies | Animal Health
Sampling technique
1. Tie the rope in an area that is easily accessible to all pigs in the pen. This area
should also be clean and not in close proximity to drinkers or troughs. The
lower end of the rope should be at the height of the pigs' mouths when they are
standing in an upright position. If more than one rope is used for a particular
pen, fix them as far apart as possible in order to separate pigs into groups.
2. Leave the rope in position for 30 minutes. Extend the time to 1 hour when pigs
are less active.
3. Carefully remove the rope (it should not touch the floor), and extract the oral
fluids from the rope by inserting the lower end into a clean plastic bag or
disposable plastic boot. Cut the end and then squeeze the rope in the bag so
that the oral fluids accumulate in one corner.
4. Cut one of the bottom corners of the plastic bag and drain the oral fluids into a
collection tube. A minimum of 2 mL is required for further analysis.
