Toxicology
Toxicology is performed only at NBC and PVL. Enclose a detailed history, including clinical signs and lesions, tentative diagnosis, a list of drugs administered, and the response to previous treatments. Each specimen must be in a separate, clean, clearly labeled container. Containers should be freezable, such as plastic bags. For liquids, use clean glass/plastic containers. Do not use any preservatives with the exception that EDTA or heparin should be used as anticoagulants for whole blood samples. Serum should be separated from the clot. If "source materials" are obtained, mail them in a separate package, not in the same package as the tissue samples. Information regarding their availability, means of exposure, and an estimate of amount ingested should be included. Enclose the label or a list of all chemicals and concentrations on the label.
For additional information contact the Toxicology Laboratory at NBC at 610-444-5800.
*Additional fees may apply, click Here for more information.
| Test/Agent | Site | Price | Procedure | Species | Tissue/Specimen | Container | Shipping* | Turn-Around | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aflatoxins see: mycotoxins | |||||||||
| Ammonia | PVL | Microdiffusion | Any | 5 ml whole blood | Heparin vacutainer | Frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 2 days | Since ammonia forms rapidly after withdrawal of blood, it is necessary to determine blood ammonia soon after withdrawal or freeze the blood immediately. | |
| Anions Biological Fluid Panel (Cl, NO3, NO2, SO4, PO4) | NBC | $43.00 | Ion chromatography | Any | 100 ml water | For water: use bottles provided by an extension agent, public health official, or an empty distilled water bottle. | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 2 days | Nitrate and nitrite are the only anions performed at PVL. |
| Anion Panel Water (Cl, F, NO3, NO2, SO4, PO4) | NBC | $45.00 | Ion chromatography | Any | 1-2 ml ocular fluid | ||||
| Anion Single | NBC | $22.00 | Ion chromatography | Any | |||||
| Anticoagulant screen: brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, coumafuryl, difenacoum, difethialone, diphacinone, pindone, valone, warfarin | NBC | $69.00 | HPLC | Any | 20 g liver, bait | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bag | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 5 days | Stomach contents may not be useful due to length of time for clinical signs to develop after a single exposure. Literature reports indicate blood may contain higher concentrations than serum, although both have been used successfully. |
| 2 ml whole blood | Chilled (not frozen) in insulated container with gel packs | ||||||||
| Avicides: Starlcide*, Avitrol*, 4-Aminopyridine | NBC | $69.00 | GC/MS | Any | Crop contents; | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bag | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 5 days | |
| Bile Acids | NBC | Kit | Any | 0.5 ml serum | Red top tube | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 1 day | Collect blood after overnight fasting. Centrifuge samples promptly after clot has formed. Lipemic or icteric samples may give misleading results | |
| Bromide | NBC | $33.00 | Ion Chromatography | Any | 1 ml serum | Take sample in red top vacutainer tube, remove serum from clot, and ship in clean Vacutainer tube or plastic vial | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 2 days | Therapeutic monitoring for treatment with NaBr or KBr |
| Bronchodilators (clenbuterol, etc.) | NBC, PVL | $137.00 | |||||||
| Calcium | NBC, PVL | $22.00 | Any | Any | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bag | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 2 days | This is a useful adjunctive test to confirm ethylene glycol toxicosis | |
| Chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide screen | NBC, PVL | $97.00 | HPLC/MS | Any | Serum, liver, baits, stomach contents | See organic chemical screen | See organic chemical screen | 5 days | Screens for carbamate pesticides |
| Cholinesterase | NBC PVL | Blood $24.00 | Spectrophotometry | Any | 1 ml whole blood | EDTA tube | Chilled | 2-5 days | Cholinesterase values may vary among different brain regions; most laboratories use an entire half in order to assure consistency of results. Cholinesterase activity is often used to assess significance of exposure to organophosphate, and less reliably, carbamate pesticides. |
| Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bag | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | ||||||||
| Brain tissue $30.00 | ½ brain (right or left hemisphere) | Same | |||||||
| For small rodent or bird, submit entire brain | |||||||||
Clenbuterol |
NBC |
$69.00 |
LC/MS | 10 gm hair, Plastic container | |||||
| Convulsant screen: Bromethalin, Strychnine | PVL | $69.00 |
TLC | Stomach contents/Bait | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bags | Chilled/frozen in container with gel packs. | 5 days | ||
| Copper | NBC, PVL | Any | Liver biopsy | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bags | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 3 days | Useful for nutritional assessment of copper status. | ||
| $22.00 |
100 mg wet weight fresh tissue | ||||||||
| Red top tube, plasma | Copper levels in the blood have variable diagnostic reliability | ||||||||
| Corticosteroid Screen | NBC | $69.00 | LC/MS | Any | 2 ml serum | Red top tube | 5 days | ||
| 10 ml urine | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | ||||||||
| 5 gm liver | |||||||||
| Cyanide | NBC, PVL | $33.00 | Test strip | Any | 1-5 ml whole blood | EDTA tube | Chilled | 2 days | Cyanide is volatilized by stomach acid, so stomach contents must be frozen as quickly as possible and shipped in an air-tight container. |
| 200 gm forage or feed | Air-tight container | Frozen in insulated container with gel packs | |||||||
| Drug analysis, single drug | NBC | $137.00 | Call lab for availability | ||||||
| Drug screen, prepurchase | NBC | $170.00 | ELISA | Equine | 5 ml serum | Serum or red top tube | Chilled in insulated container with gel packs | 5 days for screen; if positive on screen, confirmation will take 5 more days | Corticosteroid, benzodiazepin, promazine, tranquilizer, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, procaine, lidocaine |
| LC/MS | Plastic vial | ||||||||
| Electrolyte panel (Mg, Ca, Cl, P, K) | NBC | $30.00 | |||||||
| Ethylene glycol screen (antifreeze? | NBC | $50.00 | GC | Any | 10 gm kidney | Plastic vialWhirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bag | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 3 days | Kidney calcium concentration is a useful confirmation in suspected ethylene glycol toxicosis |
| Fat Content | NBC | $12.00 | |||||||
| Feed microscopy | Referral | Any | 1 lb feed | Plastic bag | Dry | Minimum of 2 weeks | Representative sampling is extremely important for all feed analyses | ||
| Fumonisins (see mycotoxin) | PVL | ELISA | |||||||
| HPLC | |||||||||
| Insecticide screen/Chlorinated Hydrocarbons | NBC | $97.00 | GC/ECD | Any | 5 gm liver, bait, fat or brain | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bag | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 5-7 days | |
| Ionophore screen: monensin, Lasalocid, etc. | PVL NBC | $97.00 | TLC | Any | 400 g feed or GI contents | Plastic bag | Dry | 5 days | |
| LC/MS screen | $72.00 | ||||||||
| LC/MS confirmation of GC/MS or LCMS screens | $54.00 | ||||||||
| Lead (blood) | NBC, PVL | $22.00 |
AA | Any | 1 ml whole blood | EDTA tube preferred, heparin 2nd best | Chilled (not frozen) in insulated container with gel packs | 2 days | |
| Lead Tissues [see Minerals] | NBC, PVL | $22.00 | AA | Tissues | See mineral panel | ||||
| Macrolide Endectocides: Ivermectin, moxidectin, doramectin, eprinomectin, selamectin | NBC | $97.00 | LC/MS | Any | Brain, liver, fat - 5 g (minimum) | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bags | Chilled/frozen in container with gel packs | 5 days | Call laboratory if specimen is not one of those listed. |
| Melamine/Cyanuric acid | NBC | $137.00 | GC/MS | Feed | 20 gm | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bag | 5-7 days | ||
| Metaldehyde (pesticide screen) | $69.00 | ||||||||
| Methemoglobin | |||||||||
| Methylxanthine screen (caffeine, thobromine, theophylline) | $72.00 | ||||||||
| Mercury | PVL, NBC | $28.00 | AA | Any | 1 ml whole blood | EDTA tube preferred, heparin 2nd best | Chilled (not frozen) in insulated container with gel packs | 7 days | |
| Tissues in whirl-pak or plastic bag | 5 gm suspect material | ||||||||
| Minerals (heavy metal screen): As, Cd, Pb, Tl) | PVL, NBC | $34.00 | AA | Any | 5 g ea. liver, kidney | Whole blood chilled (not frozen) in insulated container with gel packs | All solid environmental samples: whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bags (no metal contact) | 3 days | PVL does only lead, arsenic and selenium |
| Water samples: consult laboratory | |||||||||
| ICP/MS | 5 g suspect material, 100 ml water, 100 g feed, 2-5 ml whole blood | Other samples in sturdy shipping container | Water, tissues, serum/ plasma/ urine, chilled/ frozen in insulated container with gel packs | ||||||
| Mineral panel - complete: arsenic, cadmium, calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus (total), potassium, selenium, sodium, thallium, zinc | NBC | ICP/MS | Any | 2 ml serum and 2 ml whole blood | Avoid contact with rubber if zinc is of interest For live animals both serum and whole blood should be submitted | Water, tissues, serum, plasma, urine chilled in insulated container with gel packs. | 3 days | All solid environmental samples: whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bags (no metal contact). | |
| $46.00 | The postmortem specimens of choice are liver and kidney 100g feed, 5 g suspect material, 100 ml water, 2-10 ml bile, 5g stomach/rumen/crop contents, 5 g each liver, kidney, 2-5 ml urine | ||||||||
| Herd-based testing is available | PVL does only As, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, K, Se, Na and Zn | ||||||||
| Mineral panel-Nutritional: (Tissue or biopsy nutritional metal screen): calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc | PVL | $34.00 |
AA, ICP/MS | Any | 5 to 30 gm liver | Whirl-pak or zip-lock bags | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 3 days | PVL does only calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc |
| NBC | $34.00 |
||||||||
| Mineral panel (biological fluid metal screen): calcium, copper, soluble iron, magnesium, total phosphorus, sodium, potassium, zinc | PVL, NBC | AA, ICP/MS | Any | 3 ml serum (NBC) | Take sample in royal blue top vacutainer tube, remove from clot, ship in clean royal blue top tube or plastic vial | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 3 days | This test provides total phosphorus (Pi) and nonprecipitable iron, rather than the total phosphorus and total iron reported in the serum mineral analysis. The test thus eliminates the need for a separate Pi analysis and removes the interference of hemolyzed cells on serum Fe. | |
| $ | 5 ml serum (PVL) | ||||||||
| 1-2 ml ocular fluid | |||||||||
| Monensin (see Ionophore screen) | |||||||||
| Mycotoxins: aflatoxins, DON, DAS, fumonisins, ochratoxin, T-2 toxin, zearalenone | PVL | Screen $83.00 Single $33.00 |
ELISA | Any | 1 kg feed, silage | If dry, submit in plastic bag or carton; if high moisture, ship frozen | Insulated container with gel packs if high moisture and frozen | 5 days | Representative sampling is extremely important for all feed analyses. Sample multiple locations in the feed. |
| TLC/HPLC | |||||||||
| NEFA's (nonesterified fatty acids) | NBC | Test Kit | Bovine | 1 ml plasma | Green top or purple top plasma tube | Frozen in insulated container with freeze packs | 3 days | Important: Contact the laboratory prior to drawing samples. Plasma-spin down and separate before freezing. Ship directly to the Toxicology Section by overnight express. Samples must remain frozen. | |
| Nitrates/Nitrites (feed) | PVL | $27.00 | Spectrophotometry | Any | Feed, forage | If dry, submit in plastic bag or carton; if high moisture, ship frozen | Insulated container with gel packs if high moisture and frozen | 3 days | |
| Ion Chromatography | |||||||||
| Nitrates/Nitrites (serum, ocular fluid) | PVL | $27.00 | Spectrophotometry | Any | 5 ml serum, blood, or aqueous humor | Plastic tubes | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 3 days | Blood from live animals with clinical signs should be examined for methemoglobin |
| NBC | Whole eye | Plastic zip-lock or whirl-pak bags | |||||||
| Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Screen | NBC | $72.00 | LC/MS | Any | 2 ml serum | Red top tube | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 5 days | Includes: flunixin, ibuprofen, indomethacin, ketoprofen, meloxicam, mefanamic acid, oxyphenylbutazone, phenylbutazone, salicylic acid, tolmetin, diclofenas |
| 5 gm liver | |||||||||
| 10 ml urine | |||||||||
| Organic Chemical Screen | NBC | GC/MS | Any | 10 ml serum, urine | Plastic vial | Chilled/frozen on gel packs | 5 days minimum | This screen tests for a wide variety of pesticides, drugs, pollutants, and industrial chemicals | |
| $69.00 |
100 g rumen/stomach/crop contents, liver | ||||||||
| 10 g body fat | |||||||||
| 400 g suspect material | |||||||||
| 1 liter water | |||||||||
| Organochlorine insecticide screen | $97.00 | ||||||||
| Pesticide Screen (see insecticide screen) | |||||||||
| PCBs | NBC | $97.00 | GC/ECD | Any | 10 g tissues or biological samples, preferably liver and brain | Plastic or whirl-pak bag | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 5 days | Quantitated Aroclor 1260 |
| pH | PVL | pH Meter | Water, biological fluids | 100 ml water, GI contents | Clean plastic distilled water bottle | 1 day | |||
| NBC | |||||||||
| Plant identification | PVL NBC | $24.00 |
Any | Whole plant, including roots, or rumen/GI contents; if weed in hay, submit representative sample of suspect plant material only | Plastic bag if fresh | Pressed or chilled if fresh | 5-7 days | Contact laboratory before submittal. When submitting a fresh plant, roots should be wrapped in wet newspaper and the entire plant placed in a plastic bag. When chilled, the plant will arrive in good condition. | |
| Selenium | PVL NBC | AA, ICP/MS | Any | 2 ml whole blood | Purple top tube | Chilled (not frozen) | 7 days | Preferred sample is whole blood. | |
| Feed $27.00 |
Whole blood - send cold or frozen. | ||||||||
| Blood $25.00 |
2 ml serum | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | Serum - spin down and separate before freezing. | ||||||
| Feed $25.00 | Plastic bag | Chilled/ frozen in insulated container with gel packs | |||||||
| 5 ml milk | Chilled/ frozen in insulated container with gel packs | Defined feed - please state the expected level of selenium (<10 ppm). Results are intended for clinical or diagnostic use only. | |||||||
| 100 g feed (defined or undefined) | Dry | ||||||||
| Theophylline (see Methylxanthine) | |||||||||
| Tranquilizer Screen: xylazine, medetomadine, ketamine, diazepam, acepromazine, hydomorphone, midazolam, fluphemazine, detomidine | NBC | $72.00 | LC/MS | Any | 2 ml serum | Red top tube | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 3 days | |
| 5 gm liver | |||||||||
| Urea | PVL | $30.00 | Test Kit | Any | 1 kg feed, rumen contents | Dry, in plastic bag or carton. If high moisture, ship frozen. | If high moisture, chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 7 days | |
| Vitamin E | PVL NBC | Serum $24.00 Tissue $30.00 | HPLC | Any | 4 ml serum | Royal blue serum or red top serum tube | Chilled or frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 7 days | Protect from light |
| Serum-spin down and separate before freezing | |||||||||
| Tissue $29.00 | Plastic bag | Fresh, frozen | 7 days | ||||||
| Plastic bag | Dry | 14 days | Herd-based testing is available | ||||||
| Vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol, DON) (see mycotoxins) | PVL | ELISA | |||||||
| TLC | |||||||||
| HPLC | |||||||||
| Warfarin (see Anticoagulant screen) | PVL | HPLC | |||||||
| NBC | |||||||||
| Zearalenone (see mycotoxins) | PVL | ELISA | |||||||
| NBC | |||||||||
| HPLC | |||||||||
| Zinc (serum) | PVL NBC | AA, ICP/MS | Any | 5 ml serum (PVL) | Take sample in royal blue top vacutainer tube, remove from clot, ship in clean royal blue top tube or plastic vial | Chilled/frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 2 days | Zinc will leach out from other rubber-stoppered tubes and invalidate the assay for zinc | |
| 1 ml serum (NBC) | |||||||||
| Hemolyzed samples should be avoided | |||||||||
| Zinc phosphide | NBC | $69.00 | GC/MS | Any | Stomach content, bait, feed | Whirl-pak or zip-lock plastic bag | Chilled or frozen in insulated container with gel packs | 5 days |
