Equine Influenza Diagnosis: Sample Collection and Transport.

The article describes the collection and transport of samples used to diagnose equine influenza, highlighting the importance of obtaining adequate specimens for testing as well as comparing the effectiveness of nasal swabs and nasopharyngeal swabs in the diagnosis of the disease in horses.

The need for Equine Influenza Diagnosis

• Presumptive diagnosis for equine influenza, a common respiratory illness in horses, is typically done by looking at signs of disease in the animal. However, solely analyzing clinical signs is insufficient for a confirmed diagnosis because other infectious respiratory diseases in horses can manifest with similar symptoms.

Conducting surveillance for Equine Influenza

• In addition to the confirmation process, surveillance and control measures for equine influenza also require the ability to detect subclinical cases – instances where the animal does not exhibit visible clinical signs.
• For both these diagnosis and surveillance processes, the collection of virus-containing respiratory specimens from the horse is critical. These samples additionally provide a source for isolating specific strains of the virus for further examination and potential inclusion in preventative vaccines.

Comparison of Nasal Swabs and Nasopharyngeal Swabs

• Both nasal swabs and nasopharyngeal swabs are commonly used methods of sample collection in horses, with the level of invasiveness being relatively similar.
• However, the research points out that nasopharyngeal swabs are generally better at yielding more viral samples than nasal swabs, thereby making these swabs superior in producing diagnostic specimens.

Obtaining Nasopharyngeal Swabs

• The article describes in detail the process of obtaining nasopharyngeal swab specimens. Despite not providing information on the method itself, it emphasizes the importance of this method considering its superiority in yielding diagnostic specimens.