General Information

Advice about the husbandry and care of all types of commercial poultry, especially concerning animal health.
Comprehensive array of laboratory diagnostics, with the majority of testing methods accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025.

Sample submission

• 24 hours a day
• After prior arrangement by telephone
• Drop-off with the concierge of the Vetmeduni
• Please contact us prior to sending samples from outside the country, in order to clarify specifics concerning import regulations

Dissection

• Pathology testing and anatomical examinations of poultry carcasses
• Collection of samples for further examination

Parasitology Testing

• Detection of parasites in poultry
• Quantitation of parasite eggs and coccidial oocysts using the McMaster method

Virology and Tissue Culture

• Isolation, detection and characterization of different poultry viruses by means of diverse cell culture systems
• Neutralization assay for the charaterization of viruses

Bacteriological testing

• Detection via culture of Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobic, microaerophilic and anaerobic microorganisms in poultry
• Salmonella testing according to the ISO 6579 standard, pursuant to the regulation for poultry hygiene
• Examination of environmental samples (water and dust) for selected microorganisms
• Identification of bacteria using MALDI-TOF-MS analysis

Histology

• Examination of organ samples using various histological techniques

Serology

Detection of antibodies using various analytical methods

• Agar gel precipitation assays
• Rapid serum agglutination tests
• Neutralization assay in cell culture
• ELISA

Molecular diagnostics

• Determination of the sex of birds
• Diagnosis of various pathogens
• Sequencing of PCR fragments for typing of pathogens
• Detection of pathogens (e.g., mycoplasma, IBV) by means of the PCR ring test (RT PCR)

Diagnostic laboratory services

The Poultry Medicine Unit’s own EN ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory at  the Vetmeduni Vienna provides post-mortem examinations and a wide range of comprehensive parasitological, virological, bacteriological, histological and serological testing for both veterinarians and flock owners.

The specific diagnostic options available include:

• Pathological and anatomical examinations of poultry carcasses including taking samples for further testing
• Isolation and verification of various viruses in appropriate culture systems
• Wide range of PCR methods: conventional or quantitative PCR to verify the presence of various pathogens
• Serological investigations for antibody detection using agar-gel precipitation, rapid serum agglutination and ELISA
• Verification and identification of parasites in poultry as well as quantification of protozoa in faeces using standard methods
• Bacteriological testing of organ and environmental samples (e.g., water and air)
• Determination of antibiotic resistance profiles
• Characterisation of bacteria using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
• Salmonella diagnostics for commercial poultry including feedstuffs in accordance with ISO standards
• Examination of organ samples using various histological techniques (immunofluorescence, in-situ hybridisation)
• Storage and preservation of bacteria and viruses for further characterisation or to form the basis for external production of autogenous vaccines