Veterinary Pathology and Diagnostic Techniques Quiz

Veterinary Pathology and Diagnostic Techniques

• Advantages of cytology include rapid analysis of various lesions, such as skin scrapings, ear swabs, and masses, for cell types and pathogenic organisms in just 1 minute.
• Disadvantages of cytology include the lack of tissue architecture, low cellularity, and low cell count.
• Hematology tests, like complete blood count (CBC), provide rapid and relatively cheap analysis of WBC and RBC cell counts, platelet count, and other parameters.
• Histopathology involves the study of tissue changes caused by disease, typically acquired during surgery, endoscopically, or through biopsy, and fixed in 10% buffered formalin for analysis.
• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) combines histology, immunology, and chemistry to identify specific antigens and epitopes in tissues using antibodies, helping to identify specific cell types and proteins expressed in biopsies.
• IHC is useful in detecting a variety of pathogens in tissues, including viruses that are visually undetectable in standard slides, and it can help identify viral antigens in tissues, such as the Feline Infectious Peritonitis virus in lymph nodes.
• Pathogen isolation involves identifying the footprint of pathogenic organisms in tissues through special stains and types of inflammation, often requiring further work to identify the genus and species of the organism.
• Collection of tissue samples for pathogen identification is crucial, with fresh samples being preferable, and multiple individual samples of key tissues stored frozen for later testing.
• Molecular biology techniques like PCR are indispensable for modern diagnoses, targeting and amplifying small, specific segments of DNA from viruses, bacteria, and fungi using fresh or frozen tissues.
• Virology techniques like PCR and virus isolation are used to detect viral nucleic acids, especially when lesions of viral infection are subtle or non-specific on post-mortem and histopathology.
• Bacteriology and mycology involve the collection of tissues post-mortem or in the clinic, with aseptic techniques, and traditional culture on various media to identify common causes of death in veterinary species.
• Veterinary pathology and diagnostic techniques play a crucial role in diagnosing and understanding diseases in animals, providing rapid analysis and identification of various pathogens and cellular changes.

Immunological Serological Tests and Techniques

• Antibodies specific for immunoglobulin of a different species are used for Indirect ELISAs and indirect IHC
• Serological tests include ELISA, rapid immunoassay devices, western blotting, precipitation tests, immunolabeling, agglutination tests, complement fixation test, and neutralization test
• ELISA is used to detect antigen/antibody and requires a pure preparation of a known antigen or antibody
• "Sandwich" ELISA is used to detect antigens, involving capturing the antigen with a specific antibody and detecting with a second antibody
• Rapid immunoassay devices, like SNAP test, are used in clinics
• Precipitin-based assays are less common now and are made in a layer of agar that permits radial diffusion of reactants
• Western blotting is used to identify particular antigens in a complex mixture of proteins
• Immunolabeling of cells and tissues is used for detection of antigens
• Immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry are used for immunolabeling
• Agglutination assays involve visible clumping of particulate antigens
• Haemagglutination assays are used for typing blood groups and matching compatible donors and recipients for blood transfusion
• Complement fixation test is used to detect antigen-specific antibody in serum by activating complement to produce membrane attack complexes

Test your knowledge of veterinary pathology and diagnostic techniques with this quiz. Explore the advantages and disadvantages of cytology, hematology tests, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, pathogen isolation, molecular biology, virology, bacteriology, and mycology in diagnosing diseases in animals.