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www.AbbysHealthFood.com | # 51| Page 25 Dr. Marlene Siegel Pasco Veterinary Medical Center www.pascovet.com 813-973-2929 Biological sample collection and testing The first case of an animal testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the United States was a tiger with a respiratory illness at a zoo in New York City. Samples from this tiger were taken and tested after several lions and tigers at the zoo showed signs of respiratory illness. Public health officials believe these large cats became sick after being exposed to a zoo employee who was actively shedding virus. The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA) do not recommend routine testing of animals for this virus at this time. Public health and animal health officials may decide to test certain animals that are showing signs and that are known to have been exposed to the virus out of an abundance of caution. The decision to test will be made collaboratively between local, state or federal public health and animal health officials. The guidance is available online at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/ animal-testing.html Preferred samples for virus nucleic acid testing and isolating live virus include nasal swab, oropharyngeal swab, and/or rectal swab (or a fecal sample may be used in situations where direct sampling is not possible or may compromise animal welfare). Serum may also be collected for antibody testing where available. Veterinarians should contact the laboratory accepting diagnostic samples in advance for instructions on proper sample collection, storage, and transport. Laboratories testing for SARS-CoV-2 have established protocols and conduct testing under appropriate biosafety conditions. There are currently several molecular and serologic assays in use at veterinary diagnostic laboratories that are useful across multiple susceptible animal species. If testing is deemed appropriate, the state animal health officials will designate a state animal health official(s) to collect the sample using appropriate personal protective equipment and sample collection methods. State animal health laboratories can conduct animal testing, but any positive samples would need to be confirmed through additional testing by USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL). The first step is to contact your veterinarian to evaluate your pet and determine the next steps for your pet's treatment and care. Veterinarians who believe an animal should be tested will contact state animal health officials, who will work with public and animal health authorities to decide whether samples should be collected and tested. The data for this article was collected from the CDC, Mayo Clinic and Aphis-USDA websites. You can view it or read it on line, or download the PDF version of one page or the complete magazine. DON'T WORRY – GO TO ABBYSHEALTHFOOD.COM/ABBYS-MAGAZINE TO VIEW OR READ THE LATEST AND ALL PREVIOUS ISSUES. Missed an issue of ABBYSHEALTHFOOD.COM/ABBYS-MAGAZINE FREE $5.95 FREE $5.95 (Issue 34) "Better Health Through Education" Magazine Magazine Volume 6 Edition 4 www.AbbysMag.com Raising Healthy Kids www.AbbysHealthFood.com