Mammals: fresh brain, spinal cord, or cerebral spinal fluid (CSF).
Avian: EDTA whole blood, 1g fresh tissue (liver, spleen, kidney, bone marrow, brain, heart), oral or cloacal swabs (preferably with a few drops of transport media or saline). Note that oral swabs may not be appropriate for all bird species such as raptors.
Other: whole mosquitos.
Sampling Requirements
Blood in heparin (green top) tube cannot be used for this test. Ensure thorough mixing of blood in EDTA (e.g. invert tube several times immediately following collection) to prevent clotting. Clotted blood is not suitable for testing. Moist swabs are preferred; it its recommended to add 1-2 drops of sterile saline to the swab and place in a sterile, leak-proof container (e.g. red top tube). Bacterial culture swabs submitted in bacterial culture media (gel, charcoal, etc.) are not suitable for PCR testing. Fresh samples provide the most accurate results.Learn more about sending samples for molecular diagnostics testing in our online Education Library.
Collection Container
Tissue or swabs: sealed, leak-proof plastic bag or container.
Blood: EDTA (purple top) tube.
Mosquitos: glass or plastic vial.
Packing Instructions
Label all samples. Ship overnight on cold packs in an insulated container.
Special Instructions
Whole mosquitos can be pooled prior to submission, 50 insects to a vial.