EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT PROCEDURES FOR PROCESSING AVIAN AIR SAC LAVAGE FLUID

Air sac lavage has become a routine diagnostic tool used in pet birds; however, cytologic techniques for collection and handling of avian ce lls have not been reported. In this study, directed endoscopy was used to obtain the air sac washes. Different factors were compared that mi ght affect final preservation of cell morphology, such as centrifugati on speed, anticoagulant, storage temperature, time to processing, addi tion of glutaraldehyde to the sample, and addition of protein. The goa l was to find the processing technique best suited for the evaluation of cells from air sac washes. The use of an anticoagulant did not infl uence cell quality. Optimal cell morphology was achieved when the samp le was centrifuged at a speed of 1000 rpm (89.4 X g) and when prepared in less than an hour from the time of collection. Low temperature (5 C) tended to preserve cell quality better The addition of protein (fet al bovine serum) helped to preserve cell quality and was of value if t he sample storage time was greater than 30 min. The addition of glutar aldehyde resulted in a significant reduction in cell quality.