Collecting swabs early in the course of disease is important – particularly for viral infections (EHV-1/4, influenza).
Collecting a nasopharyngeal swab:
Adequately restrain the horse
Pass swab at least 15 cm into the horse’s nasopharynx via the ventral meatus to absorb respiratory secretions, for at least one minute. Insert the swab as far as it will go in the ventral meatus. Avoid the blind pouch just adjacent to the nostril.
Cut off cotton-tipped end and drop into a sterile plain tube or appropriate viral or bacterial transport media.
Label the specimen containers clearly. Fill out a submission form completely, indicating type of test required and specify type of transport media used
Transport to the laboratory as soon as possible, on ice packs if possible.
Please note that collecting swabs early in the course of disease is important – particularly for viral infections (EHV-1/4, influenza).
