Charging for submitting tissue samples for TB testing from animals kept in zoos and safari parks
Guidance for vets and animal keepers on what funding is available for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) testing of animals kept in zoos and safari parks in England, and when to notify APHA of suspected TB.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Zoos and safari parks are isolated, self-enclosed animal holdings that are not included in the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication programme for England.
There is no requirement for statutory TB testing of animals kept in zoos and safari parks in England, except for either:
- any co-located herds of domestic cattle eligible for routine TB surveillance
- where the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) would require testing of any bovine animals (cattle, bison, buffalo and yaks), goats, deer or South American Camelids (SAC) in a zoo or safari park contiguous to a cattle herd with an Officially Tuberculosis Free Status Withdrawn (OTFW) breakdown
If bTB is suspected in a live animal or carcase
Under the TB Orders, it is a legal requirement to notify APHA without delay if bTB is suspected in any live cattle, bison, buffalo, yak, deer, SAC or goat.
In England and Scotland this requirement also extends to pigs and sheep.
The suspicion of bTB in the carcase of any animal, including those not covered by the TB Orders, is also notifiable.
When to notify APHA about suspected TB
Balai (EU Directive 92/65/EEC) approved zoos or safari parks
For zoos or safari parks that are Balai approved to exchange animals with other zoological collections, the responsible Approved Veterinary Surgeon (AVS) must notify APHA if they suspect any notifiable disease in any animal.
If TB is suspected, APHA will suspend the Balai status and advise the AVS to submit suitable diagnostic samples for M. bovis testing. Movement restrictions will be applied but they may be limited to the suspected species only or those susceptible to the disease, based on a veterinary risk assessment (VRA).
The responsible APHA field vet will notify APHA Centre for International Trade (CIT).
If TB is confirmed, APHA will withdraw Balai approval and remove the premises from the list of Balai-approved establishments.
Zoos or safari parks without Balai approval
For zoos or safari parks that are not Balai approved, it is not mandatory to notify APHA about suspected TB if:
- there are no bovine animals present
- the suspicion of TB does not involve a deer or camelid (live or carcase), or the carcase of a sheep, goat or pig
Voluntary reporting and submission of samples to APHA for laboratory testing is considered best practice and will help to rule out TB.
What happens after APHA is notified
Once notified, APHA will then:
- assess the strength of the evidence of M. bovis infection
- if fresh or frozen tissue samples are available, arrange for PCR testing and/or culture at an APHA laboratory
Post-mortem examinations on animals from zoos and safari parks are typically carried out by private zoo veterinarians, but may also be submitted to APHA post-mortem examination centres.
Funded bTB testing
APHA will pay for:
- ante-mortem testing when bTB is suspected in live bovine animals, SAC, goat or deer (including pigs and sheep in England and Scotland)
- whole genome sequencing of any M. bovis isolates from privately-funded culture-positive submissions
For other exotic zoo animals from zoos or safari parks that are not yet subject to any movement restrictions (such as the index case that could trigger a new TB incident if positive on PCR or culture) APHA will only meet the costs of post-mortem examination (PME), histopathology, PCR and culture, if either:
- there was a reasonable suspicion of TB infection in exotic species in zoos or safari parks that also keep TB-susceptible livestock
- cases meet the specific triage criteria
Funded bTB testing triage criteria
Mycobacterial testing (PCR and bacterial culture) of samples from zoo animals submitted to APHA is free of charge if the animal meets certain criteria.
Contact APHA Field Services if you believe that the animal meets the following eligibility criteria. Following confirmation, you will be given the appropriate form to accompany your submission.
You’ll still need to pay the costs for packing and dispatch of the sample or carcass.
England
Testing is free in England if the animals meet at least 2 of the following criteria:
- histopathology or fine needle aspirate (FNA) cytology results from a private or APHA laboratory, consistent with TB (granulomatous) lesions
- gross post-mortem findings consistent with TB (granulomatous) lesions
- images of post-mortem lesions provided by a private vet that are agreed to be highly suspicious of TB by an APHA veterinarian, Veterinary Investigation Officer (VIO), or pathologist
- acid-fast bacilli suspicious of mycobacteria detected from a lesion consistent with TB
- PCR-positive result for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) bacteria, from a clinical or post-mortem sample
- a positive result for M. bovis infection on a validated serological test
Wales
Testing is free for zoo animals in Wales, if:
- both the clinical history and additional investigations support a likely diagnosis of TB (investigations include diagnostic imaging, blood tests, or histopathology carried our by the zoo or private veterinary surgeon)
- there is other strong supporting evidence, such as close contact with another animal suspected or confirmed with TB
Scotland
Testing is free in Scotland if samples or carcasses submitted initially to private laboratories are suspected of having TB. This includes Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
If the criteria for funded testing are not met
If the animal does not meet the criteria for government-funded testing, the Private Veterinary Surgeon (PVS) or zoo vet may submit carcasses or samples from zoo animals for diagnostic testing for bTB, at full economic cost, to either:
- an APHA laboratory
- or any other suitable laboratory, such as those belonging to universities, NHS trusts, public health agencies, or private companies
Compensation
No compensation is paid for suspect or positive animals in zoos or safari parks that may be culled for TB control purposes, unless the testing was specifically instructed by APHA.
Forms for funded and unfunded testing
Funded testing
If the eligibility criteria for funded testing have been met, APHA will give you one of the following forms to accompany your submission:
- TB50 (bovine) form
- TN50 (non-bovine livestock)
- TN61 (other zoological species)
You must send samples to the address specified on the form you are given, or as instructed by the APHA vet.
Unfunded testing
Use form BA704 (Detection of mycobacteria from pet animal samples) for privately-funded submissions to APHA.
Taking samples
For all sample submissions, collect up to 20g of fresh tissue without adding any transport medium.
If the tissue is frozen, you must indicate this on the submission form.
Submitting samples
You must follow the rules for packaging and sending pathological material.
Complete all forms in full. Send your completed submission form and samples to the address specified on the relevant form or as instructed by APHA
Submitting samples to other laboratories
You can submit samples to other laboratories, such as those affiliated with universities, NHS trusts, public health agencies, or private diagnostic laboratories.
If M. bovis is detected in the samples, the laboratory must notify APHA without delay.
Fees
The APHA Scientific price list contains fees for:
There are no fees for cultures performed following a positive PCR test result.
There are fees for cultures performed instead of the PCR, or if specifically requested in addition to a negative PCR test result.
How to pay
You enter into a contract with APHA when the Veterinary Investigation Centre receives your sample and submission form.
You’ll be sent an invoice with instructions on how to set up an account to make payment. You must pay within 28 days of the date of invoice. APHA reserves the right to withhold services for accounts in arrears.
See our general terms and conditions that apply to testing where no specific contract is signed.
Receiving your test results
Check the price list for the maximum processing time for each test.
Test results are returned as soon as possible. If you need the findings urgently, you should include this on the form.
Reports are sent by email. You can ask for the report to be sent by post. Reports sent by special delivery will result in extra charges and you’ll need to ask the centre for this service. You can also ask that results are sent to someone other than yourself.
For government-funded submissions, the results are sent to your local APHA Field Services Team, who will provide these to you in turn.