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Topic:Diagnostic Technique

Diagnostic techniques in equine medicine encompass a range of procedures and tools used to identify diseases, injuries, or other health conditions in horses. These techniques include imaging methods such as radiography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as laboratory tests like blood work and tissue biopsies. Each diagnostic method provides specific information that can aid in the assessment and management of equine health issues. Radiography is commonly used for evaluating bone structures, while ultrasonography is useful for soft tissue examination. MRI offers detailed images of both soft and hard tissues, though its use is limited by cost and availability. Laboratory tests can detect biochemical and hematological changes indicative of disease. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the development, application, and efficacy of various diagnostic techniques in equine veterinary practice.
Contrast-enhanced computed tomographic evaluation of the deep digital flexor tendon in the equine foot compared to macroscopic and histological findings in 23 limbs.
Equine veterinary journal    September 11, 2013   Volume 46, Issue 3 300-305 doi: 10.1111/evj.12129
van Hamel SE, Bergman HJ, Puchalski SM, de Groot MW, van Weeren PR.Distal deep digital flexor tendinopathy is an important cause of foot lameness in horses that is difficult to diagnose with radiography and ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging is a well-accepted and validated technique for the identification of deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) lesions, but has some practical and financial drawbacks. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) has been proposed as a suitable alternative, but validation studies are currently lacking. Objective: To assess the accuracy of CECT for the identification and characterisation of deep digital flexor tendinopath...
Testing mammary gland secretions to help predict when a mare will foal.
The Veterinary record    September 10, 2013   Volume 173, Issue 9 216-217 doi: 10.1136/vr.f5384
Korosue K.No abstract available
Equine ulnar fracture repair with locking compression plates can be associated with inadvertent penetration of the lateral cortex of the radius.
Veterinary surgery : VS    September 9, 2013   Volume 42, Issue 7 790-794 doi: 10.1111/j.1532-950X.2013.12059.x
Kuemmerle JM, Kühn K, Bryner M, Fürst AE.To evaluate if the use of locking head screws (LHS) in the distal holes of a locking compression plate (LCP) applied to the caudal aspect of the ulna to treat equine ulnar fractures is associated with a risk of injury to the lateral cortex of the radius. Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Cadaveric equine forelimbs (n = 8 pair). Methods: After transverse ulnar osteotomy, osteosynthesis was performed with a narrow 10-13 hole 4.5/5.0 LCP applied to the caudal aspect of each ulna. The distal 3 holes were filled with 4.5 mm cortex screws (CS) in 1 limb (group 1) and with 5.0 mm LHS con...
Surgical Management of Penile and Preputial Neoplasms in Equine with Special Reference to Partial Phallectomy.
Journal of veterinary medicine    September 8, 2013   Volume 2013 891413 doi: 10.1155/2013/891413
Rizk A, Mosbah E, Karrouf G, Abou Alsoud M.Penile and preputial neoplasia in horses occurs infrequently and represents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The present study was carried out on a total number of 21 equids (14 stallions and 7 donkeys) suffered from different penile and preputial neoplasia. Diagnosis of neoplasms was based up on history of the case, clinical examination as well as histopathological evaluation. Animals with penile and preputial neoplasms were underwent local excision and partial phallectomy with a slightly modified version of the techniques described by William's. The diagnosed neoplasms were penile and ...
Breath Analysis Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry (Ims) As Diagnostic Tool In Equine Reproduction Medicine.
Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical engineering    September 7, 2013   Volume 58 Suppl 1 doi: 10.1515/bmt-2013-4449
Klein CC, Wietstock S, Hoffmann M.Diagnosing reproduction processes is a main activity of veterinarians concerning farm animals. So it would be eligible to replace this physically demanding work by other procedures. Aim of the presented study was to in-vestigate, whether results of breath analysis are related to sexual hormone levels in equine females. Breath samples of 25 mares as well as regularly taken samples of ambient air were analysed using Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS). Peak heights of three clusters were found to correlate moderately strong to blood serum levels of equine chorionic gona...
Development of EMA-2 recombinant antigen based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for seroprevalence studies of Theileria equi infection in Indian equine population.
Veterinary parasitology    September 7, 2013   Volume 198, Issue 1-2 10-17 doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.08.030
Kumar S, Kumar R, Gupta AK, Yadav SC, Goyal SK, Khurana SK, Singh RK.Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-transmitted protozoan disease caused by Theileria equi and/or Babesia caballi. In the present study, we expressed a 53kDa protein from the truncated EMA-2 gene of T. equi (Indian strain) and developed EMA-2ELISA using this expressed protein. This ELISA is able to detect T. equi-specific antibodies in experimentally infected animals as early as 9 days post-infection. The assay developed was validated with the OIE recommended competitive ELISA (cELISA) on 120 serum samples and significant agreement (kappa=0.93) was observed between results of both the ELISAs which ...
Area of cartilage accessible to curettage for subsequent arthrodesis of the equine proximal interphalangeal joint. Comparison of conventional and collateral ligament sparing approaches.
Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology : V.C.O.T    September 6, 2013   Volume 26, Issue 6 489-492 doi: 10.3415/VCOT-12-01-0016
Kuemmerle JM, Berchtold S.This study compared the areas of cartilage accessible for curettage in arthrodesis of the equine proximal interphalangeal joint using the conventional and collateral ligament sparing approaches. For this purpose, forelimbs and hindlimbs of six equine cadavers without radiographic evidence of proximal interphalangeal joint disease were used. One limb of each pair of limbs was randomly assigned to a dissection using a standard approach to the proximal interphalangeal joint including transection of the collateral ligaments, while each contralateral limb was exposed using the same approach but lea...
Comparison of basilar and axial sesamoidean approaches for digital flexor tendon sheath synoviocentesis and injection in horses.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association    September 6, 2013   Volume 243, Issue 6 869-873 doi: 10.2460/javma.243.6.869
Rocconi RA, Sampson SN.To define a method for the basilar sesamoidean approach (BSA) to the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) in horses and compare it with the axial sesamoidean approach (ASA) for DFTS synoviocentesis and injection. Methods: Evaluation study. Methods: 12 healthy adult mares without evidence of abnormalities related to the lower limbs. Methods: Each horse had 1 forelimb and 1 hind limb assigned to each DFTS approach (basilar vs axial, relative to the proximal sesamoid bones) in a Latin square design. The order of horses and of limb injection for each horse was randomly selected. All procedures were...
Draft Genome Sequence of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus Strain S31A1, Isolated from Equine Infectious Endometritis.
Genome announcements    September 5, 2013   Volume 1, Issue 5 e00683-13 doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00683-13
da Piedade I, Skive B, Christensen H, Bojesen AM.We present the draft genome sequence of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus S31A1, a strain isolated from equine infectious endometritis in Denmark. Comparative analyses of this genome were done with four published reference genomes: S. zooepidemicus strains MGCS10565, ATCC 35246, and H70 and S. equi subsp. equi strain 4047.
West Nile virus surveillance, Brazil, 2008-2010.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene    September 4, 2013   Volume 107, Issue 11 723-730 doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trt081
Ometto T, Durigon EL, de Araujo J, Aprelon R, de Aguiar DM, Cavalcante GT, Melo RM, Levi JE, de Azevedo Júnior SM, Petry MV, Neto IS, Serafini P....West Nile virus (WNV) is an emergent pathogen that is widely distributed in North and Central America. The recent introduction in South America has focused attention on the spread of WNV across Southern American countries. The transmission network involves mosquitoes, birds, horses and humans. Methods: The serological evaluation of sera from 678 equids and 478 birds was performed using a WNV-specific blocking ELISA, and only the positive results were confirmed by plaque reduction neutralisation tests (PRNTs). Molecular analysis was performed on sera from 992 healthy equids and on 63 macerates ...
Arthroscopic anatomy of the equine cervical articular process joints.
Equine veterinary journal    September 3, 2013   Volume 46, Issue 3 345-351 doi: 10.1111/evj.12112
Pepe M, Angelone M, Gialletti R, Nannarone S, Beccati F.Although arthropathy of the cervical articular process joints (APJs) is common, descriptions of the arthroscopic technique of the cervical APJ have not been reported previously. Objective: To develop an arthroscopic approach to the APJ and to describe the arthroscopic anatomy of the APJ. Methods: Descriptive cadaver study and clinical case report. Methods: The regional anatomy was reviewed and the technique developed on fresh cadaver necks. A series of cadaveric APJ arthroscopies from C2-C3 to C6-C7 were performed to evaluate the procedure, which was then used in 3 clinical cases. A descriptio...
Non-neoplastic lesions of equine skin in the central United States and Canada: a retrospective study.
The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne    September 3, 2013   Volume 54, Issue 3 262-266 
Schaffer PA, Wobeser B, Dennis MM, Duncan CG.A retrospective study evaluated the clinical data and histologic features of non-neoplastic dermatologic lesions in skin biopsies from horses, donkeys, and mules submitted over a 10-year period to the Colorado State University Diagnostic Medicine Center and to the University of Saskatchewan Western College of Veterinary Medicine and Prairie Diagnostic Services. A total of 1793 non-neoplastic biopsies were available for analysis. Based on the histologic description and morphologic diagnosis, each submission was classified as inflammatory, or non-neoplastic/non-inflammatory. Results of this stud...
Epidemiological study of gastrointestinal helminths of equines in Damot-Gale district, Wolaita zone, Ethiopia.
Journal of parasitic diseases : official organ of the Indian Society for Parasitology    September 3, 2013   Volume 39, Issue 2 315-320 doi: 10.1007/s12639-013-0352-z
Sheferaw D, Alemu M.The prevalence of equines helminthosis studied from November 2011 to May 2012 in two agroecological zones Damot-Gale district, Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence, and to see the distribution of internal helminth parasites of equines. A total of 500 faecal samples collected for coprological examination of gastrointestinal helminth ova. From each species of studied animals 200 positive faecal samples were pooled and cultured, and then the larvae recovered and identified. The coprological examination revealed 100 % Strongyle, 16.6 % Fascio...
Noninvasive determination of atrial fibrillation cycle length by atrial colour tissue Doppler imaging in horses.
Equine veterinary journal    August 30, 2013   Volume 46, Issue 2 174-179 doi: 10.1111/evj.12108
Decloedt A, de Clercq D, van der Vekens N, Verheyen T, van Loon G.Atrial fibrillation cycle length (AFCL) is an indicator of atrial electrical remodelling during atrial fibrillation (AF). Objective: To compare AFCL measured invasively from an intra-atrial electrogram (AFCLEGM ) with AFCL measured noninvasively by atrial colour tissue Doppler imaging (AFCLTDI ). Methods: Prospective descriptive clinical study. Methods: Measurements were performed in 31 episodes of AF or flutter in 29 horses (588 ± 61 kg bwt, 9 ± 3 years old) admitted for transvenous electrical cardioversion. The AFCLEGM was measured from an intracardiac electrogram using a bipolar sensi...
Ultrasound-guided injection of the maxillary nerve in the horse.
Equine veterinary journal    August 30, 2013   Volume 46, Issue 2 180-184 doi: 10.1111/evj.12106
O'Neill HD, Garcia-Pereira FL, Mohankumar PS.Infiltration of the equine maxillary nerve with local anaesthetic can be useful for both diagnostic and surgical procedures. The deep location and proximity of the nerve to surrounding vascular and orbital structures make an accurate, complication-free injection a challenge using traditional techniques reliant upon surface anatomical landmarks. Objective: To develop an ultrasound-guided injection technique of the maxillary nerve in equine cadavers and to evaluate its efficacy and potential for complications in vivo. Methods: Descriptive cadaver anatomical and clinical study. Methods: The relev...
Voltage changes in the lithium dilution cardiac output sensor after exposure to blood from horses given xylazine.
British journal of anaesthesia    August 30, 2013   Volume 112, Issue 2 367-369 doi: 10.1093/bja/aet298
Ambrisko TD, Moens Y.In a previous in vitro study using saline medium, the authors showed that certain drugs changed the voltages of lithium dilution cardiac output (LiDCO) sensors and also influenced their accuracy in measuring lithium concentrations. These two parameters correlated and so we examined whether such drug-sensor interaction exists when LiDCO sensor was exposed to xylazine in blood. Methods: Five healthy adult warm-blood horses were injected with 0.5 mg kg(-1) xylazine i.v. Physiological saline solution and venous blood were consecutively sampled through the same LiDCO sensor at 60, 45, 30, 15, and 0...
Investigation of rhythms of secretion and repeatability of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations in healthy horses and horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.
Equine veterinary journal    August 30, 2013   Volume 46, Issue 1 113-117 doi: 10.1111/evj.12114
Rendle DI, Litchfield E, Heller J, Hughes KJ.There is little published information on whether measurement of plasma ACTH concentration at a single timepoint is a repeatable indicator of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Objective: To determine whether ultradian or circadian fluctuations in ACTH production influence plasma ACTH concentration in normal horses and horses with PPID. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: Plasma ACTH concentration in 8 non-PPID horses and 8 horses with PPID was measured at 08.00, 11.00, 14.00 and 17.00 h on 5 nonconsecutive days within a 3 week period. In addition, at 08.30 h on one da...
Ultrasound-guided biopsy of the cricoarytenoideus lateralis muscle: technique and safety in horses.
Equine veterinary journal    August 30, 2013   Volume 46, Issue 2 244-248 doi: 10.1111/evj.12105
O'Neill HD, Ballegeer EA, De Feijter-Rupp HL, Stick JA, Derksen FJ, Robinson NE.Current diagnosis of recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) depends upon disease recognition in the clinically affected horse. Biopsy of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles may provide a method to identify the changes in fibre-type composition that occur in RLN before clinical signs become apparent. Objective: To develop an ultrasound-guided biopsy technique of the left cricoarytenoideus lateralis muscle (CALM) and evaluate its efficacy and safety in vivo. Methods: A longitudinal descriptive study. Methods: Six standing horses underwent ultrasound-guided biopsy of the left CALM. Frozen muscle cores ...
Repeatability of the combined glucose-insulin tolerance test and the effect of a stressor before testing in horses of 2 breeds.
Journal of veterinary internal medicine    August 28, 2013   Volume 27, Issue 6 1543-1550 doi: 10.1111/jvim.12172
Bröjer J, Lindåse S, Hedenskog J, Alvarsson K, Nostell K.The increasing number of horses diagnosed with insulin resistance (IR) and the suggested link between IR and laminitis has highlighted the need to accurately diagnose IR in clinical practice. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the repeatability of the combined glucose-insulin tolerance test (CGIT) as well as to determine the effect of 2 different breeds and the effect of a stressor on the test results. Methods: Clinically normal horses, 9 Standardbred horses and 9 Icelandic horses. Methods: Prospective clinical nonrandomized trial. The CGIT was performed on all horses on 2 occasio...
Quantitation of fluphenazine in equine serum following fluphenazine decanoate administration.
Journal of analytical toxicology    August 28, 2013   Volume 37, Issue 8 594-599 doi: 10.1093/jat/bkt073
Costello S, Heffron B, Taddei L, Benoit M, Hurt L, Simpson L, Bishop J, Folker-Calderon D, Negrusz A.Fluphenazine, a potent antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia in humans, is used in racehorses as a performance-enhancing drug, and for that reason it has been banned by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for detecting and quantitating fluphenazine in equine serum was developed and validated. The method was then employed to quantitate fluphenazine in serum samples collected from three study horses after intramuscular injection of fluphenazine decanoate. Stability testing showed that fluphenazine is stable in unextra...
Validation of two behaviour-based pain scales for horses with acute colic.
Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)    August 28, 2013   Volume 197, Issue 3 646-650 doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.04.007
Sutton GA, Paltiel O, Soffer M, Turner D.Two behaviour-based scales for evaluating abdominal pain in horses (Equine Acute Abdominal Pain Scales, EAAPS-1 and -2) and a numerical rating scale (NRS) were compared for reliability and validity. Forty-one equine veterinarians randomly assigned into three groups were each presented a different set of 28 moving picture films randomly chosen among 36 films of horses with colic and four controls. One randomly chosen film was embedded twice within each set. The first (n=15) and the second (n=16) groups scored pain with the EAAPS-1 and EAPPS-2, respectively, while the third (n=10) used the NRS. ...
Accurate antemortem diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) based on detecting intrathecal antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona using the SnSAG2 and SnSAG4/3 ELISAs.
Journal of veterinary internal medicine    August 26, 2013   Volume 27, Issue 5 1193-1200 doi: 10.1111/jvim.12158
Reed SM, Howe DK, Morrow JK, Graves A, Yeargan MR, Johnson AL, MacKay RJ, Furr M, Saville WJ, Williams NM.Recent work demonstrated the value of antigen-specific antibody indices (AI and C-value) to detect intrathecal antibody production against Sarcocystis neurona for antemortem diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Objective: The study was conducted to assess whether the antigen-specific antibody indices can be reduced to a simple serum : cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) titer ratio to achieve accurate EPM diagnosis. Methods: Paired serum and CSF samples from 128 horses diagnosed by postmortem examination. The sample set included 44 EPM cases, 35 cervical-vertebral malformation (CVM) ca...
PCR-based Methodologies Used to Detect and Differentiate the Burkholderia pseudomallei complex: B. pseudomallei, B. mallei, and B. thailandensis.
Current issues in molecular biology    August 22, 2013   Volume 16 23-54 
Lowe W, March JK, Bunnell AJ, O'Neill KL, Robison RA.Methods for the rapid detection and differentiation of the Burkholderia pseudomallei complex comprising B. pseudomallei, B. mallei, and B. thailandensis, have been the topic of recent research due to the high degree of phenotypic and genotypic similarities of these species. B. pseudomallei and B. mallei are recognized by the CDC as tier 1 select agents. The high mortality rates of glanders and melioidosis, their potential use as bioweapons, and their low infectious dose, necessitate the need for rapid and accurate detection methods. Although B. thailandensis is generally avirulent in mammals, ...
Seroprevalence study of Equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV) in Australian weanling horses using serotype-specific ERBV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Horsington J, Hartley CA, Gilkerson JR.Respiratory infections are a major burden in the performance horse industry. Equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV) has been isolated from horses displaying clinical respiratory disease, and ERBV-neutralizing antibodies have been detected in 50-80% of horses in reported surveys. Current ERBV isolation and detection methods may underestimate the number of ERBV-positive animals and do not identify multiple serotype infections. The aim of the current study was to develop a serotyping ERBV antibody-detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and examine the seroprevalence of ERBV in a group of Aus...
Intradiploic hematoma of the frontal bone with secondary exophthalmos in a mare.
Veterinary ophthalmology    August 18, 2013   Volume 17 Suppl 1 168-173 doi: 10.1111/vop.12091
Kafarnik C, Donaldson D, Payne R, Holloway A.A 13-year-old cob mare was presented with exophthalmos and periocular swelling of the left eye. The diagnostic work-up included ocular ultrasound, sonographic examination through the thinned frontal bone, radiography, standing computed tomography of the skull and exploratory osteoplastic surgery. Histopathology was consistent with an organized hematoma. An intradiploic hematoma of the frontal bone was diagnosed 5 years after head trauma, with progressive expansion and deformation of the skull resulting in exophthalmos. Exophthalmos with facial bone deformation was the only clinical finding of ...
Is a standalone inertial measurement unit accurate and precise enough for quantification of movement symmetry in the horse?
Computer methods in biomechanics and biomedical engineering    August 15, 2013   Volume 18, Issue 5 527-532 doi: 10.1080/10255842.2013.819857
Brighton C, Olsen E, Pfau T.Standalone 'low-cost' inertial measurement units (IMUs) could facilitate large-scale studies into establishing minimal important differences (MID) for orthopaedic deficits (lameness) in horses. We investigated accuracy and limits of agreement (LoA) after correction of magnitude-dependent differences of a standalone 6 degree-of-freedom IMU compared with an established IMU-based gait analysis system (MTx) in six horses for two anatomical landmarks (sacrum and sternum). Established symmetry measures were calculated from vertical displacement: symmetry index (SI), difference between minima (MinDif...
Expression of β2 adrenoceptors within enteric neurons of the horse ileum.
Research in veterinary science    August 12, 2013   Volume 95, Issue 3 837-845 doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2013.07.006
Bombardi C, Grandis A, Gardini A, Sorteni C, Clavenzani P, Chiocchetti R.The activity of the gastrointestinal tract is regulated through the activation of adrenergic receptors (ARs). Since data concerning the distribution of ARs in the horse intestine is virtually absent, we investigated the distribution of β2-AR in the horse ileum using double-immunofluorescence. The β2-AR-immunoreactivity (IR) was observed in most (95%) neurons located in submucosal plexus (SMP) and in few (8%) neurons of the myenteric plexus (MP). Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-IR fibers were observed close to neurons expressing β2-AR-IR. Since β2-AR is virtually expressed in most neurons located...
Sensitivity and specificity of blood leukocyte counts as an indicator of mortality in horses after colic surgery.
The Veterinary record    August 12, 2013   Volume 173, Issue 11 267 doi: 10.1136/vr.101503
Salciccia A, Sandersen C, Grulke S, de la Rebière de Pouyade G, Caudron I, Serteyn D, Detilleux J.The objectives of this study were to describe and relate perioperative changes in blood leukocyte counts to the outcome of surgical colic horses, determine a cut-off value in the early postoperative period to obtain an indicator of the outcome, and compare the obtained value to a validation population of horses. Fifty-three horses undergoing colic surgery were included in the descriptive part of the study. Total leukocyte counts were performed before, during and serially after surgery. A receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed on the leukocyte counts of 45 of these horses to d...
Equine endometrial cytology and bacteriology: effectiveness for predicting live foaling rates.
Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)    August 11, 2013   Volume 198, Issue 1 206-211 doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.08.002
Davies Morel MC, Lawlor O, Nash DM.Endometritis is an important cause of sub-fertility in mares. The critical indicator of reproductive success and financial return for commercial studs is live foaling rate. Endometrial bacteriology and/or cytology are used to diagnose endometritis and thus identify mares at risk of early embryonic death. However, mares with endometritis may conceive but then abort in late gestation. The aims of this study were to establish, as part of a standard breeding examination (1) whether a threshold percentage of uterine polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) exists above which a significant reduction in ...
Development, evaluation, and laboratory validation of immunoassays for the diagnosis of equine infectious anemia (EIA) using recombinant protein produced from a synthetic p26 gene of EIA virus.
Indian journal of virology : an official organ of Indian Virological Society    August 8, 2013   Volume 24, Issue 3 349-356 doi: 10.1007/s13337-013-0149-9
Singha H, Goyal SK, Malik P, Khurana SK, Singh RK.Equine infectious anemia (EIA)-a retroviral disease caused by equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV)-is a chronic, debilitating disease of horses, mules, and donkeys. EIAV infection has been reported worldwide and is recognized as pathogen of significant economic importance to the horse industry. This disease falls under regulatory control program in many countries including India. Control of EIA is based on identification of inapparent carriers by detection of antibodies to EIAV in serologic tests and "Stamping Out" policy. The current internationally accepted test for diagnosis of EIA is the ...