Figure 6
Diagram of experiment to evaluate transport conditions and media volume. Specific pathogen free white leghorn chickens were inoculated with 106.5 50% egg infectious doses of AIV by in the intrachoanal route. Oro-pharyngeal (OP) and cloacal (CL) swabs were collected at 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10 and 14 days post inoculation using flocked swabs and brain heart infusion broth (BHI). Individual swabs and pools of 5 swabs (4 from unexposed chickens and 1 from an inoculated chicken) were collected and trans ported in different conditions as follows: 1) collected in 3.5 ml of BHI and transported either in the swab tube n = 15 OP and 15 CL swabs; 2) collected in 3.5 ml BHI and wrung out in the swab tube and removed prior to transport; 3) collected in 2 ml BHI and wrung out in the swab tube and removed prior to transport, n = 10 OP and CL swabs each (individual swabs only); 4) collected in 2 ml of BHI and transported in the swab tube, n = 10 OP and CL swabs each (only individual swabs collected); 5) collected and transported dry, pooled and transferred to BHI 24 hours after transport, n = 15 OP and 15 CL swabs each.