The Animal Diagnostic Center at Cornell University offers a number of services of value to veterinarians and horse owners.
Diagnosing disease to keep horses healthy
Different departments in the Animal Diagnostic Center at Cornell University Department of Veterinary Medicine cover most areas related to the health of horses.
Different departments cover most areas related to the health of horses and other animals including
- Anatomic Pathology
- Bacteriology
- Clinical Pathology
- Comparative Coagulation
- Endocrinology
- Molecular Diagnostics
- Parasitology
- Serology/Immunology
- Toxicology
- Virology
One good example of the variety of services offered is the Parasitology Section where the services provided include:
Detection and identification of domestic and wild animal parasites from animal feces, animal tissues, fluids and environmental samples
Tests conducted to identify parasites in feces include:
- Qualitative and quantitative centrifugation concentration flotation techniques
- Antigen capture ELISA tests for Giardia and Cryptosporidium
- Nematode larvae cultures
- Direct fecal smears (wet mounts)
- Baermann technique for recovery of nematode larvae
- Test conducted to identify parasitic infections using serum include:
- Knott’s technique for microfilariae in blood
- Parasite identification - whole parasites, on histological slides, in a biopsy
- Tritrichomonas foetus InPouch culture test
- KOH digestion of skin scrapings to retrieve ectoparasites
- Whirling Disease testing of fish
- Sand recovery analysis for horses
Another service provided is identification of ticks. It may be important to accurately identify a tick in order to understand what disease-causing agents (pathogens) the tick is capable of carrying and transmitting. Tick identification is performed in our laboratory by an experienced veterinary diagnostic parasitologist
Veterinarians should submit ticks for testing using the standard AHDC general submission form. Payment arrangements are made for the veterinarian’s account. If this is a first time submission and an account has not previously been established, the laboratory medical records staff will contact the submitting veterinarian when the sample is received to establish account information for payment and by what method result reporting is preferred.
All submitted ticks will be identified. Additional PCR testing may be available on verified vector species, for pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, or other pathogens of concern.
All ticks must be submitted in a leak-proof and escape-proof plastic screw cap vial or jar.
More about the services of the Animal Health Department at Cornell University