AGI offers a range of diagnostic tests to identify pathogenic bacterial and parasitic infections in non-human primates.
| Assay Name | Assay Code | Description of Disease |
|---|---|---|
| Aerobic Culture | MICRO1 | A bacterial culture in which growth is allowed to occur in a state of ambient—normal—oxygenation. |
| Aerobic Sensitivity | MICRO2 | Measures the susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics in the presence of oxygen. |
| Anaerobic Culture | MICRO3 | Isolation and identification of potential anaerobic pathogens in an environment absent of oxygen. |
| Anaerobic Sensitivity | MICRO4 | Measures the susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics in the absence of oxygen. |
| Campylobacter | MICRO5 | Campylobacter species are one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the world, with symptom severity ranging from moderate to severely debilitating. Campylobacter are helical-shaped, non-spore-forming, Gram-negative bacteria. |
| Concentrated Fecal Float | MICRO6 | Fecal flotation is a routine veterinary test used to diagnose internal parasites or "worms." The test detects the eggs of mature parasites that live inside the body and pass their eggs to the outside by shedding them into the host's stool. |
| Concentrated Fecal Float (Helminths Only) | MICRO7 | Fecal float test specifically for the detection of the eggs of helminths (parasitic worms) such as hookworm, ringworm, and whipworm. |
| Salmonella | MICRO8 | Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. They are facultative anaerobes, capable of generating ATP with oxygen ("aerobically") when it is available, or when oxygen is not available, using other electron acceptors or fermentation (“anaerobically”). Salmonella bacteria typically live in human and non-human primate intestines and are shed through feces; primates with salmonella infection may develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within eight to 72 hours. |
| Shigella | MICRO9 | Shigella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria. It is genetically closely related to E. coli. Shigella is the causative agent of shigellosis, which can cause disease in primates but not in other mammals. During infection, it typically causes dysentery, with symptoms including bloody diarrhea, fever, and dehydration. |
| Stool Ova and Parasite Exam | MICRO10 | An ova and parasite exam looks for parasites and their eggs (ova) in a sample of stool. Sample is collected from an animal and a small smear of the sample is placed on a microscope slide and examined. |
| Yersinia | MICRO11 | Yersinia is a genus of bacteria in the family Yersiniaceae; its species are Gram negative and anaerobic. Some members of Yersinia are pathogenic in non-human primates; in particular, Y. pestis is the causative agent of the plague. Infection may occur through blood, the GI tract, or via consumption of food products contaminated with infected urine or feces. Speculation exists as to whether Yersinia can also be spread by protozoonotic mechanisms, since Yersinia species are known facultative intracellular parasites. Yersinia culture will detect (but not differentiate) all species in the genus Yersinia. |
| Stool Culture 1 | STOOL1 | Culture for Salmonella and Shigella. |
| Stool Culture 2 | STOOL2 | Culture for Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter. |
| Stool Culture 3 | STOOL3 | Culture for Salmonella, Shigella, and Yersinia. |
| Stool Culture 4 | STOOL4 | Culture for Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia. |
Sample submission requirements:
Please mark the sample container with the patient’s ID number.
Swabs for bacteriology should be placed in a suitable transport medium (such as Stuart’s, Amies, Cary-Blair) without antibiotics. For aerobic culture, please send overnight with cold packs. For anaerobic bacterial culture, send at ambient temperature by overnight shipping.
Respiratory samples should be collected on a sterile Dacron-tipped swab transport system. Transport the specimen to the laboratory on ice-packs.
All anaerobic culture samples should be transported on an anaerobic transport system at room temperature.
Stool cultures: A fecal transport medium is recommended. Keep the collected sample refrigerated and transport on cool packs.
Microbiology results are processed within 72 hours after sample delivery.