DNA BLOOD CARD - EACH

The latest advancement in DNA testing for Scrapie susceptibility is a filter paper storage card. These cards absorb a drop of blood from the sheep which can then can be stored at room temperature indefinitely. The special cards absorb nucleaic acid (which can be amplified for DNA testing) and can be stored at room temperature for testing at a later date. The potential application for this may include: 1) the cards can more easily be shipped to the lab for testing than blood tubes can, 2) sheep can be sampled and the cards can be stored for a long period of time if testing may be needed in the future, 3) dead sheep can be tested if a sample was taken at some point when it was alive, 4) only a drop of blood is needed. Some labs may not yet have the ability to extract DNA from the card so be sure to check with the lab prior to sending in the samples on cards. Because it is critical that the samples not be contaminated we recommend to sample only one sheep on each card and to store each card in a ziplock bag to prevent contamination and erroneous results.