Histopathology

Description

The histology laboratory prepares slides for microscopic examination which supports the team of dedicated veterinary pathologists to observe and interpret morphological changes in animal tissue. Tissue specimens can be collected from post mortems (field or in-house) or biopsies from live animals.

Terrestrial and aquatic histopathology is available in addition to unusual species on request (eg. snail, bee, tick).

The process of producing a slide for microscopic examination involves sample processing, embedding, sectioning, staining and cover slipping. Slides are then digitally scanned for interpretation by the veterinary pathologist.

Tests available

Test	Sample(s) required	Days of the week test is conducted	Turnaround time¹
Histopathology (general tissues) + routine H&E staining of slide	Fixed tissues	Monday - Friday	Up to 5 days
Histopathology (TSE exclusion) + routine H&E staining of slide	Fixed tissues	Monday - Friday	Up to 10 days
Histopathology processing + routine H&E staining of slide + digital scanning	Fixed tissues + external hard drive/ USB	Monday – Friday	Up to 5 days
Digital scanning only	Submission of glass slides + external hard drive/ USB	Monday – Friday	Up to 2 days
Special stains	On request	Monday – Friday	Up to 5 days

¹Turnaround times are provided as a guide only. For specific information about your submission please contact Customer Service.

Specimen requirements

Fixed tissue (general tissues)

Fixed tissue (general tissues)
Fresh tissues immediately placed in formalin Tissue pieces should not be greater than 1cm cubed to ensure proper fixation Submit fixed in neutral buffered formalin at a 10:1 ratio of formalin: tissue

Fixed tissue (TSE exclusion)

Fixed tissue (TSE exclusion)
Submission of whole brain is required to ensure preservation of TSE target sites submit fixed in neutral buffered formalin at a ratio of 10:1 formalin: tissue Brains submitted for TSE exclusion are processed once a week, separate to general tissues to ensure consistent and reliable results. Urgent cases can be processed out of cycle if clearly marked on the Submission Form however this may reduce the quality of the brain histology results, so should only be requested in extremely urgent cases.

Submission of whole brain is required to ensure preservation of TSE target sites
- submit fixed in neutral buffered formalin at a ratio of 10:1 formalin: tissue
Brains submitted for TSE exclusion are processed once a week, separate to general tissues to ensure consistent and reliable results. Urgent cases can be processed out of cycle if clearly marked on the Submission Form however this may reduce the quality of the brain histology results, so should only be requested in extremely urgent cases.

Fresh tissue

Fresh tissue
Fresh tissues can be submitted following necropsy The quality of the tissues will be reduced due to the effects of autolysis so ideally fixed tissue should be submitted in neutral buffered formalin at a ratio of 10:1 formalin: tissue

Digital histopathology

Digital histopathology
This service can be requested following processing of fixed tissues and routine H&E staining or on submitted glass slides Please provide storage device (eg. USB) for return of digitised images

Special stains

Special stains
A variety of special stains are maintained and can be performed on request

Additional Information

Customer Service

Contact Customer Service for enquiries relating to testing and results, quotations and pricing, couriers, sample submission and invoicing.

NSW DPI's laboratories are committed to continual improvement of services. If you would like to provide feedback, please fill in and submit the online feedback form.

CONTACT DETAILS
Phone	1800 675 623
Email	laboratory.services@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Operating Hours	8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays) 8:30am-12:00pm Saturday (for deliveries only)
Postal Address	Private Bag 4008, Narellan NSW 2567

Quotations

For Animal export, Plant health or Veterinary quotations, please complete the online quotation request

For Edible oil & oilseed or Feed quality quotations and pricing enquiries, please contact DPI AgEnviro Labs at Wagga Wagga on (02) 6938 1957

For Plant nutrition, Soil health or Water quality quotations and pricing enquiries, please contact DPI AgEnviro Labs at Wollongbar on (02) 6626 1103

Submission Forms

Veterinary Specimen Advice Form

Please Note: These documents are not fully web accessible, please contact Customer Service (laboratory.services@dpi.nsw.gov.au) for more information.

Courier services and specimen delivery

For NSW submissions, please contact the relevant Customer Service team for courier account details and to order consignment notes.

For submitters outside of NSW, Couriers can be contacted directly to make bookings and arrange collection of packages at the submitters own cost.

Commercial couriers may use either road or air transport and specimens should therefore be packed in accordance with International Air Transport Association (IATA) requirements. Most submission sent by veterinarians to the SVDL for testing are defined as “Biological Substance Category B” and must be packed according to the IATA packing instructions 650 (Biological Substance Category B). As requirements for transport can change, customers should consult with their transport agent to obtain current requirements.

Samples may also be hand delivered to the site during normal business hours (8.30am - 4.30pm).

Sample Type	Laboratory	Delivery Address
Animal (including aquatic animals)	NSW Animal and Plant Health Laboratories (APHL)	EMAI, Woodbridge Road, Menangle NSW 2568