TABLE 1-2.

Specimen Collection Guide for Diagnosis of Viral and Intracellular Bacterial Infections of Companion Animals

System Affected	Possible Agents	Specimen Type
Respiratory tract	Dogs: coronaviruses, canine adenovirus, influenza viruses, parainfluenza virus, CDV, canine herpesvirus Cats: FHV-1, FCV, influenza viruses, FCoV	Oropharyngeal swabs Nasal flushes, transtracheal wash or bronchoalveolar lavage specimens: ideally 5 to 10 mL of fluid Lung tissue obtained at biopsy or necropsy, including an area adjacent to affected tissue
Eye	Dogs: canine herpesvirus, canine adenovirus Cats: FHV-1, FCV, Chlamydia felis	Conjunctival swab, scraping or biopsy
Central nervous system	Dogs: CDV, West Nile virus, arboviruses	Cerebrospinal fluid: ideally at least 0.5 to 1 mL Blood: 8 to 10 mL Brain at necropsy
Gastrointestinal tract	Dogs: CDV, CPV, rotaviruses, canine coronavirus Cats: FCoV, FCV, FeLV, rotaviruses, toroviruses	Feces: ideally an olive-sized portion of formed feces or 10 mL of liquid stool Intestinal biopsies obtained using endoscopy or surgery, or intestinal tissue obtained at necropsy
Genital	Dogs: canine herpesvirus Cats: Chlamydia felis	Vesicle scrapings, vaginal swabs
Congenital and perinatal	Dogs: canine herpesvirus Cats: FHV-1, FeLV	Blood, tissues obtained at necropsy
Blood	Dogs: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia rickettsii, Ehrlichia canis Cats: FeLV, FIV, FCoV	Blood: ideally 8 to 10 mL

CDV, Canine distemper virus; CPV, canine parvovirus; FCoV, feline coronavirus; FCV, feline calicivirus; FeLV, feline leukemia virus; FHV-1, feline herpesvirus-1; FIV, feline immunodeficiency virus.