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Published on: December 4, 2015
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Equine influenza diagnosis: sample collection and transport
Thomas M Chambers1, Stephanie E Reedy
1Department of Veterinary Science, OIE Reference Laboratory for Equine Influenza, Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, 1400 Nicholasville Road, Lexington, KY, 40546-0099, USA, tmcham1@uky.edu.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|June 6, 2014
Summary
Accurate diagnosis of equine influenza in horses requires more than clinical signs. Nasopharyngeal swabs are superior to nasal swabs for collecting virus specimens needed for diagnosis and vaccine development.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Virology
- Animal Health
Background:
- Clinical signs alone are insufficient for diagnosing equine influenza due to overlapping symptoms with other respiratory diseases.
- Effective surveillance and control strategies for equine influenza require the detection of subclinical cases.
- Accurate diagnosis of equine influenza virus infection depends on obtaining adequate virus-containing respiratory specimens.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of diagnostic specimen collection for equine influenza.
- To compare the efficacy of different specimen collection methods for equine influenza diagnosis.
- To describe optimal methods for obtaining nasopharyngeal swab specimens from horses.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of virus yield between nasal swabs and nasopharyngeal swabs.
- Description of techniques for collecting nasopharyngeal swab specimens in horses.
- Evaluation of specimen adequacy for diagnostic testing and virus isolation.
Main Results:
- Nasopharyngeal swabs yield more virus compared to nasal swabs.
- Nasopharyngeal swabs are identified as superior diagnostic specimens for equine influenza.
- The described methods facilitate the collection of valuable diagnostic specimens.
Conclusions:
- Nasopharyngeal swabbing is the preferred method for obtaining diagnostic specimens in horses with suspected equine influenza.
- Improved specimen collection is crucial for accurate diagnosis, surveillance, and vaccine strain characterization.
- The study provides practical guidance for veterinarians on optimal specimen collection techniques.
