Diagnostic Laboratory
Please speak to someone in the diagnostic lab before collecting and packing samples for the lab. Talking to us ahead of time allows us to discuss which specimens would be best, how many we need, and how to package and transport them in the most appropriate way for diagnostics, which may be different than your standard shipping protocols. Contacting us will also ensure that we do not have other cases submitted at the same time and are not out of the office visiting other farms, so we can examine your fish in the timeliest manner.
Debbie Pouder, Diagnostic Lab Manager: 813-671-5230 x106 / dbpouder@ufl.edu
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Roy Yanong, Veterinarian: 813-671-5230 x104 / rpy@ufl.edu
The time required to complete the diagnostic tests listed below are general guidelines but may vary depending on the case. For example, bacterial culture, bacteria identification, and antibiotic sensitivity tests would all take longer to perform on a slow-growing bacteria than on a more typical bacteria that grows within 24 to 48 hours. Estimated times given below are from the date of sample submission to the diagnostic lab.
| Diagnostic Test | Typical Time to Completion |
|---|---|
| Water chemistry analysis | Same day |
| Live exam with external tissue biopsies | Same day |
| Necropsy (external & internal exam including parasitology) | Same day |
| Bacterial culture | 1 - 4 days |
| Bacteria identification | 4 - 10 days |
| Antibiotic sensitivity | 3 - 5 days |
| Histology | 1 - 3 weeks |
| Virology | 1 - 4 weeks |
| Mycobacterium culture | up to 5 weeks |
| Mycobacterium identification (after positive culture) | 2 weeks |