Diagnostic Specimen Submission at ADRDL
What is a Diagnostic
Specimen?
Any animal or animal material, including
excreta, secreta, blood and its components, tissue, and tissue fluids being
transported for diagnostic or investigational purposes, but excluding live
animals. This may also include any environmental sample or other pertinent
material to a case such as plants, grains, feeds, water, or chemicals.
Recommended specimens for submission
Ø
Live,
sick animals: Early
in the clinical stages of disease live sick animals are often the specimens of
choice. Clients should deliver such animals directly to the laboratory during
office hours. Livestock will be humanely euthanized before necropsy. The
laboratory will not accept live companion animals (includes horses); instead
they should be euthanized by a veterinarian immediately prior to delivery to
the laboratory.
Ø
Carcasses: Minimize
postmortem change in dead animals by promptly delivering to the
laboratory. Assure that the body
secretions are contained enroute to the laboratory.
Ø Necropsy on the farm: In
many cases, the local veterinarian may conduct the necropsy on the farm site
(when the animal cannot be brought to the laboratory). The veterinarian may
then ship the appropriate samples: preferably both fresh and formalin-fixed
tissues, to the diagnostic laboratory.
Transport / shipment of specimens by mail
Ø Label
(e.g. animal owner, animal ID, herd / barn / lot ID) and pack specimens in leak
proof container, such as a urine cup or whirl pack bag, to prevent cross
contamination. Remember that formalin will leak through Ziploc bags, resulting
in cross contamination of fresh specimens. Please do not submit fecal specimens
in gloves.
Ø
If protected from breakage,
single-use vacuum blood-collection tubes are satisfactory, but the use of
snap-cap or screw cap tubes may give more security from leakage. It is critical
that the tubes are completely snapped or screwed shut. Also if all of a
small sample leaks it means a loss of revenue for you and an inconvenience for
the client.
Ø Put
all specimens in a secondary leak proof container with absorbent material capable
of absorbing all of the spill if it were to occur (such as a larger plastic bag
with absorbent) before enclosing them in a leak proof outer container such as a
Styrofoam cooler.
Ø The
ADRDL sells shipping cartons (cardboard protected Styrofoam coolers, maximum
capacity 4 kg or 4 L; compliant for “Diagnostic Specimens” per USPS). If
placing more than one case / samples from different owners in a shipping
carton, separate them by larger plastic bags. Guarded culture swabs may be
shipped in their original receptacles that are placed in an appropriate package.
Ø Please
enclose the submission form in a plastic bag and put it between the
PRIMARY RECEPTACLE and the SECONDARY PACKAGE. In ADRDL shipping cartons, there
is an envelope for the submission form on the inside lid.
Ø When
shipping samples to the lab, the goal should be a maximum of 48 hours total
transit time. Therefore, it is best not to ship samples on Fridays or before
long weekends/holidays. Samples that are required to be kept cool should be
packed with enough coolant to last the entire time in transit.
Ø Diagnostic
specimens shipped through public carriers (e.g. UPS, USPS / Fed Ex / SpeeDee
Delivery etc.) should be packed in compliance with current applicable shipping
regulations. The Shipper is responsible for
compliance with such regulations.
Ø During regular laboratory hours:
Walk-in to delivery of specimens is always available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday excluding state and federal Holidays. When these
holidays fall on the weekend, the following Monday is typically celebrated as
the holiday.
Ø After hours / weekends / legal
holidays: There is a small exterior cooler that is
accessible to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is suitable for
dropping off specimen boxes, serology samples, or small dead animals (<125
lbs.) after hours. It is the responsibility of the client to identify such
samples and leave a completed submission form. Forms and animal ID tags are
available in a steel box on the wall adjacent to the cooler. The samples will not be processed by the
laboratory without the completed submission form.
Ø After-hours emergency necropsy:
A veterinary pathologist is on call after hours for emergencies @ 605-690-1576.
The on-call pathologist will review the case and consult with the referring DVM
and animal owner when determining the necessity of an after hours necropsy. It
will be necessary for the client to consult with the on-call pathologist to
arrange delivery of any large animals requiring the hoist and access to the
large interior storage cooler. (Animal owners should always consult their local
veterinarians about treatment options).
Ø
USPS
Packaging guidelines for Diagnostic specimens.
Ø
IATA Packing instruction 650.
Ø
ADRDL User Guide, http://vetsci.sdstate.edu/userguide/userguide.pdf.