- Home
- Surveillance & Diagnostics
- Diagnostic service
- Diagnostic testing
Diagnostic testing
APHA offers diagnostic testing on a variety of different sample types for livestock, equine, avian and wildlife species.
Submit your samples using our online submission service
The Animal Disease Testing Service, ADTS is APHA's digital submission service.
Features include:
- paper-free sample submission direct to testing laboratory
- sample and test tracking
- live results
- a fully mobile service
- free postage.
Find out more and register:
Find out more about our services
If you have a query about our diagnostic tests, please contact your local Veterinary Investigation Centre
- How to contact us: See our national network page
- Further information on our range of disease surveillance tests: Disease surveillance test price lists
- Find out more about how to submit samples
- Links to all our submission forms
- Further information about results, quality and terms and conditions
- Find out more about APHA test report validity
- If you would like to make a complaint, please contact the relevant testing centre: national network page. In the event of any further difficulties which cannot be resolved by these channels please contact APHA’s Quality Services Team qmg.weybridge@apha.gov.uk or follow the complaints procedure: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency/about/complaints-procedure#how-to-complain
Guide to help with sample and test selection
APHA’s guide on sample and test selection, Livestock & Wildlife Disease Diagnosis at APHA provides you with guidance on the samples required and tests used for common disease presentations for both livestock and wildlife.
You can also access this guide through the Animal Disease Testing Service.
If the guide does not answer your query, please contact one of our Veterinary Investigation Officers at your local Veterinary Investigation Centre.
Submission samples
All diagnostic tests for one submission should be sent together to a single location, that location should be the best one for the tests you need. These are shown in the tests and locations table.
For example, if you have bloods for serology and tissue for culture work, send the submission to a bacteriology lab. Please do not send samples to locations not shown in the table as this will create delays in testing.
To help you chose the best location to send your samples to, we recommend that you use our digital Animal Disease Testing Service. This provides information on where to send samples, gives you a submission reference, and allows you to track progress and receive results.
The service also allows you to send all samples to a single location if that is your preference, will advise the best location for the tests you have selected, and generate dispatch notes and address label information.
All samples should continue to be submitted using the species specific forms. We use your data extensively for surveillance, and are always grateful for the time you spend providing it. It also ensures you receive the subsidised surveillance price list.