Veterinary Epidemiology and Zoonosis

Labeling, packing and transport of clinical materials

LABELING, PACKING AND DESPATCHING OF CLINICAL MATERIALS

Labeling of containers

• Postmortem number.
• Date of collection.
• Particulars of the animal: species, breed, sex, age, date of birth, name of the animal.
• Tissue pieces collected and their location.
• Name and concentration of fixative used.

Packing for transport

• The transport containers should be leak proof and air tight.
• Transfer the tissue pieces to a small container with the tissue fixative ratio of 1:2.
• The volume fixative should be 3/4^th the capacity of the container.
• Wrap the container in sufficient absorbent material to absorb all fluid in case of breakage
• One or more of these containers are in turn placed in a second durable leak proof receptacle.
• Finally, the secondary container and completed laboratory request form in a plastic bag are placed in an outer shipping package (thermocole box).
• This must protect the contents from physical and water damage and indicate the potentially toxic nature of the contents