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Collection of samples |
Somatic Tissues |
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Somatic Tissues |
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Although somatic tissues, such as muscle and lymph, may contain FMD virus, the amount of
infectivity is usually so low that it is not possible to isolate virus or detect FMDV
antigen. The only exception to this general rule is the myocardium (heart muscle) from
young animals which die without clinical signs. If young animals (up to a few weeks old)
are infected with FMDV, the virus shows a marked predilection for the heart muscle
resulting in myocarditis, frequently leading to death.
• select a freshly dead animal or kill a moribund
neonate (the fall in pH associated with
rigor mortis results in inactivation of FMDV,
so the fresher the material the better). |
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