Hang cotton rope in an accessible location shoulder high to the pigs. Coated or nylon ropes should not be used since they are non-absorbent. Do not hang ropes in extremely unclean areas of a pen or in close proximity to water or feed to minimize contamination.
After ropes have been saturated, usually 20-30 minutes, extract oral fluids by squeezing rope into a 1 gal plastic bag.
Cut a corner of the bag, or use a corner of the open top, and drain the contents into a 50 mL Falcon tube or equivalent. At least a 4 ml sample is needed for testing. Alternative method is to use a disposable pipette to extract the fluid and then dispense into a 6 mL Falcon Double Snap, snap cap tube.
Label tubes as appropriate with permanent ink and place in a Ziploc plastic bag or brown tube box.
Oral fluid sample handling and submission
Freeze samples promptly to optimize quality.
Complete a submission form with all pertinent sample and testing information.
Prepare and handle oral fluid samples for shipment in the same fashion as serum, i.e., ship samples with ice packs and absorbent material in an insulated shipping container.
