2 Life Technologies | Animal Health
Detection of pathogens—The presence of A. pleuropneumoniae can be confirmed
in tonsil scrapings, and the presence of M. hyopneumoniae in tracheobronchial
swabs. In either case PCR-based tests can be used to detect pathogen
RNA/DNA. A. pleuropneumoniae can also be isolated by cultural techniques.
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 compartment. Keep in mind that for the
purposes of monitoring (e.g., SPF status of herd in case of M. hyopneumoniae)
other material and methods may be more feasible and reliable.
Tracking disease over time (i.e., longitudinal examination)—Take the first
samples on day 1 and repeat sampling from the same animals 2 to 4
weeks later.
To determine the disease 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.
Diagnostic use
