Poultry

In addition to “classic” necropsies with detailed patho-anatomical examination and reporting perfomed by our veterinarians, we also offer a so called “targeted sample-taking” regarding your request for further diagnostics.

Whole animals, body parts or organs should immediately shipped to the lab. Please cool or deep freeze samples.

Transport of diagnostic sample material

AniCon is registered for handling category 2 material according to  Reg (EC) No. 1069/2009 registration no.: DE 03 453 0003 02.

Diagnostic material has to be shipped double-bagged and in new, securely sealed and leakproof vessels.

Every shipment has to be send with an according accompanying document.

The corresponding documents are linked above for download.

Receiving of sample material at AniCon

We receive your sample material from Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Please note that live animals are accepted from 08:00 am to 03:00 pm and only with your advance notice by telephone (phone +49 4473 9438 - 30).

Outside business hours we provide a small customer lab, equipped with fridges for placing your samples. If you prefer to initiate a bacteriological examination by yourself you might use the provided incubator and all necessary material.

If you would like to use the customer lab for the first time please do not hesitate to contact us.

In urgent cases and prior agreement necropsies and further diagnostics can also be performed on weekends.

You will receive the test reports immediately after performed analysis of your samples (generally 24 – 72 hrs)

via E-mail, postal service or fax. Our electronic data base system allows a prompt submission of partial reports.

We receive whole animals or carcasses as well as swabs, tissues or organs of diseased animals, fecal samples, sock swabs, superficial swabs, contact plates, dust samples, surrounding samples, eggs or milk.

Identification, characterisation and typing of isolated bacteria are done by their biochemical, serological and molecular properties and with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Sensitivity testing of isolates is routinely performed.

If requested isolated pathogens can be cryopreserved.

ELISA, hemagglutination inhibition (HI) or rapid plate agglutination can provide information about immune status of the tested animal. Knowledge of the antibody status can serve to control of a performed vaccination, an assessment of the infectious state or to the determination of the best time point for vaccination (IBDV, Gumboro).

Detection of virus via culture is performed from swabs, tissue samples or organs in embryonated eggs or cell culture. The obtained isolates are further characterized by hemagglutination tests as well as by molecular tools. If requested isolated pathogens can be cryopreserved.

Besides “classical” cultural and serological methods we provide a broad spectrum of molecular tests.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a rapid (within hours) method to detect genetic material (DNA/RNA) of inactive or reproductive viruses and bacteria.

We routinely perform PCR testing (mostly real-time PCR) for diverse poultry relevant pathogens. We put emphasis in routine diagnostics to provide our customers as soon as possible with results.

A further purpose of our molecular diagnostic is characterisation of viral isolates. These isolates are analysed by various specific PCR methods [i. e. (real-time) (RT-) PCR] and sequencing. Knowledge of detected genes, e. g. surface determinants, toxin gens and other gene sequences, enables us to classify isolates to species, subtypes and potential virulence. These tests allow a targeted selection of a suitable vaccine and let estimate its efficacy.