Life Technologies

3 Life Technologies | Animal Health Sample size In either case of spontaneous deaths or clinical disease at group level, a minimum of 3 pigs is recommended for post-mortem examination and subsequent tissue sampling. If symptoms are not consistent in the affected group, select at least 3 pigs per 'typical symptom; e.g., in a group with pigs showing either coughing or central nervous symptoms, select 3 pigs showing coughing as the main symptom and 3 pigs showing central nervous signs as the main symptoms. 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. Preparation When selecting living animals, separate these from the others before euthanizing them. Use electro-stunning whenever possible. If this is not the case, intravenous injection of anesthetizing drugs (e.g., ketamine plus azaperone), followed by an overdose of barbiturate, is most appropriate. Do not kill animals by head shot if further examination of brain tissue is the aim. Do not take tissue samples in areas stocked with living animals. Perform the necropsy in a clean area with concrete floor and enough light. This area should be cleaned and disinfected immediately after the necropsy and should not be accessible to other pigs. Sampling technique 1. Open the different body cavities separately; start with the abdominal cavity, followed by the thoracic cavity and ending with the skull cavity. 2. Use a cleaned and disinfected knife (saw for the head). Clean and disinfect the knife between pigs. 3. Take samples at the visible border between affected and unaffected tissue. 4. Use a sterile scalpel blade for sectioning the tissue. The samples should be approx. 2 cm along each edge. If different organs are affected, use at least one new blade per organ system. When sampling gut tissue, ligate both ends of the anticipated sample before cutting.

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