AHL testing update for companion animals and other (exotic) animal species
Durda Slavic
Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON.
AHL Newsletter 2024;28(2):27.
Starting May 1, 2024, AHL changed how antimicrobial susceptibility testing is charged for tests involving companion animals (dogs, cats, horses) and other (exotic) animal species. Only a single susceptibility test will be included in the price of culture. Any additional susceptibility tests requested by the client will be performed at an extra charge. It is recommended that additional susceptibilities be requested by specifying number on the submission form (e.g., “report up to 3 significant bacterial sensitivities”) when submitting a sample for testing, as AHL does not store bacterial isolates for more than 3 days after results are reported to clients. There will be two options to select for susceptibility testing: disk diffusion (DD) and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Please refer to the following tests when ordering culture and susceptibility testing:
- Bacterial culture, aerobic, disk diffusion, ‘cultn’, $56.00 per sample and $25.00 set-up charge per case, includes culture for aerobic bacteria. Disk diffusion susceptibility testing for only ONE significant pathogen per case is included. Additional susceptibilities must be requested and extra charges, $15.00 per isolate, will apply.
- Bacterial culture, aerobic and anaerobic, disk diffusion, ‘ancultn’, $152.00 per sample, includes culture for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Disk diffusion testing for only ONE significant aerobic pathogen per case is included. Additional susceptibilities must be requested and extra charges, $15.00 per isolate, will apply. Susceptibility testing is not routinely performed on anaerobes. If susceptibility testing for anaerobes is required, please email the lab at ahlbact@uoguelph.ca for more information.
- Bacterial culture, aerobic, minimal inhibitory concentration, ‘cultnm’, $65.00 per sample and $25.00 set-up charge per case, includes culture for aerobic bacteria. Minimal inhibition concentration susceptibility testing for only ONE significant pathogen per case is included. Additional susceptibilities must be requested and extra charges, $42.50 per isolate, will apply.
- Bacterial culture, aerobic and anaerobic, minimal inhibitory concentration, ‘anculnm’, $163.80 per sample, includes culture for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Minimal inhibition concentration susceptibility testing for only ONE significant aerobic pathogen per case is included. Additional susceptibilities for aerobic bacteria must be requested and extra charges, $42.50 per isolate, will apply. Susceptibility testing is not routinely performed on anaerobes. If susceptibility testing for anaerobes is required, please email the lab at ahlbact@uoguelph.ca for more information.
AHL is strongly encouraging use of MIC susceptibility testing, as more interpretative Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guidelines for animal species/bacteria/drug combinations are available in comparison to disk diffusion, and this trend will likely continue in the future. AHL