In addition to managing two of the state’s poultry health programs, TVMDL helps keep Texas’ birds healthy through dedicated high-volume testing at the Center and Gonzales locations. In the five-year period between March 2019 and February 2024, TVMDL’s poultry laboratories performed over 1 million serologic tests for avian influenza, Mycoplasma, and Salmonella. While most of those tests were performed in commercial flocks, over 6,600 tests were for backyard birds, zoo animals, and other non-commercial entities. Brief summaries of serologic testing for avian influenza, Mycoplasma, and Salmonella in non-commercial birds are below. It is important to keep in mind that antibody testing is often used as a screening or surveillance tool, and positive results do not necessarily reflect confirmation of disease; final disposition is dependent on the outcome of follow-up testing and epidemiological investigation.
Avian influenza
Between 2019 and 2024, TVMDL’s poultry laboratories in Gonzales and Center performed 3,404 serologic tests for antibodies against avian influenza virus in serum or yolk samples from non-commercial birds. The counties represented by this testing are below, along with the number of tests per county.
The numbers of non-commercial avian influenza serology tests at both the Center and Gonzales laboratories, along with the number and percentage of positives, are below.
| Test Name | Total Tested | Total Positive (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Avian Influenza Virus – Serum (ELISA) | 601 | 3 (0.50%) |
| Avian Influenza Virus – Serum (AGID) | 781 | 3 (0.38%) |
| Avian Influenza Virus – Yolk (ELISA) | 424 | 4 (0.94%) |
| Avian Influenza Virus – Yolk (AGID) | 1598 | 5 (0.31%) |
| TOTAL TESTS | 3404 | 15 (0.44%) |
Mycoplasma gallisepticum & synoviae
Over the five-year period between 2019 and 2024, TVMDL’s poultry laboratories in Gonzales and Center performed 855 serologic tests for antibodies against Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae (MG/MS) in serum samples from non-commercial birds. The counties represented in these tests are below, along with the number of tests per county.
The numbers of non-commercial MG/MS serology tests at both the Center and Gonzales laboratories, along with the numbers and percentage of positives, are below. Note that the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests for Mycoplasma (marked with an asterisk) were retired from the TVMDL test catalog in 2021 due to the low number of test requests.
| Test Name | Total Tested | Total Positive (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Mycoplasma gallisepticum & synoviae (ELISA) | 548 | 96 (17.5%) |
| Mycoplasma gallisepticum (ELISA) | 45 | 21 (46.7%) |
| Mycoplasma gallisepticum (Plate Agglutination) | 108 | 50 (46.3%) |
| Mycoplasma gallisepticum (HI)* | 8 | 2 (25.0%) |
| Mycoplasma synoviae (ELISA) | 1 | 0 (0%) |
| Mycoplasma synoviae (Plate Agglutination) | 145 | 81 (55.9%) |
| Mycoplasma synoviae (HI)* | 0 | — |
| TOTAL TESTS | 855 | 250 (29.2%) |
Salmonella gallinarum & pullorum
From 2019 to 2024, TVMDL’s poultry laboratories in Gonzales and Center performed 2,390 serologic tests for antibodies against Salmonella gallinarum and Salmonella pullorum (pullorum-typhoid, or PT) in samples from non-commercial birds. The counties represented in these tests are below, along with the number of tests per county.
The numbers of non-commercial PT serology tests at both the Center and Gonzales laboratories, along with the numbers and percentage of positives, are below.
| Test Name | Total Tested | Total Positive (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Salmonella gallinarum & pullorum (Tube Agglutination) | 2297 | 22 (0.96%) |
| Salmonella gallinarum & pullorum (Plate Agglutination) | 93 | 6 (6.45%) |
| TOTAL TESTS | 2390 | 28 (1.17%) |
For more information about TVMDL’s test catalog, visit tvmdl.tamu.edu or call 1.888.646.5623.