Diagnostic Plan

The diagnostic plan is a scientific preventive health program using a team approach, including you, the producer, your veterinarian, and a laboratory. An Addison Biological Laboratory representative consults with your veterinarian to help identify and diagnose specific herd health problems.

Guidelines for sample submission of…

Pinkeye Samples: Culture cattle’s eyes at the earliest stages of pinkeye (Actively tearing, untreated animals – ideally no chronic cases) by gently rolling cotton swab under eyelids to recover lacrimal fluid. Swab 1/3 of blood agar plate surface within 15 minutes of culturing eyes. Perform this procedure in as clean an area as possible (a truck with the windows up).

• Please complete a Pinkeye Investigation Form and include with the samples to be submitted. Click here for Pinkeye Investigation Form.
• Do not expose plate to direct sunlight for an extended period and do not incubate. Tape plates closed, identify by clinic and farm name.
• Pinkeye culture kits containing instructions, blood agar plates and swabs are available upon request.

Intestinal Samples: Submissions for culture and sensitivity should be packaged separately from lung, liver, brain and other tissue samples.

Nasal Swabs: Samples should be submitted using culturette swabs with transport media and not placed in broth.

Isolation of Haemophilus: Due to the nature of the organism, tissues should be submitted immediately. The lung sample can be placed in glycerin or frozen before shipment.

Milk Samples: Bulk milk tank sample is recommended along with separate milk samples taken from infected cows. When drawing individual cow samples, ensure that teats are cleaned to remove surface contaminants and/or disinfectants before drawing diagnostic samples. Samples may be drawn from 3-4 individually infected cows. Freeze sample overnight before shipping.

Click here for Specimen Submission Form.

Other Tips:

• For best results send specimens, swabs, milk, and plates, accompanied with a completed Specimen Submission Form, in the early part of the week.
• Include ice packs with all samples submitted. If shipment takes longer than 2 days, ship them overnight or at least a 2nd day service.
• Do not ship on Friday or Saturday. Proper shipment scheduling will avoid bacterial overgrowth of samples.
• Tissue submitted for bacteriology should be fresh, not formalized.
• Including a plate culture can speed up results and help in the isolation of bacterial pathogens, but please include a sample of tissue in case of plate contamination or poor environmental conditions during shipment. Pure culture isolates should be submitted on an agar plate or slant rather than in broth cultures.

Ship To:

Addison Biological Laboratory
Attn: Diagnostics
507 North Cleveland Avenue
Fayette, Mo. 65248

Mark all samples for identification. Please call 1-800-331-2530 if you have questions or need assistance.

Please visit our autogenous page to learn about further options available to you once our professional diagnosis is made.

Printable Information

To download a printable file, choose from the following:

Pinkeye Investigation Form

Specimen Submission Form