Annex XI Types of biological samples referred to in Article 18 and their use
United Kingdom
| Type of sample | Typical size of sample | Use of sample |
|---|---|---|
| Blood, liquid | Drops or 5 ml of whole blood in a tube with anticoagulant; may deteriorate in 36 hours | Haematology and standard biochemical tests to diagnose disease; taxonomic research; biomedical research |
| Blood, dry (smear) | A drop of blood spread on a microscope slide, usually fixed with chemical fixative | Blood counts and screening for disease parasites |
| Blood, clotted (serum) | 5 ml of blood in tube with or without a blood clot | Serology and detection of antibodies for evidence of disease; biomedical research |
| Tissues, fixed | 5 mm3 pieces of tissues in a fixative | Histology and electron microscopy to detect signs of disease; taxonomic research; biomedical research |
| Tissues, fresh (excluding ova, sperm and embryos) | 5 mm3 pieces of tissues, sometimes frozen | Microbiology and toxicology to detect organisms and poisons; taxonomic research; biomedical research |
| Swabs | Tiny pieces of tissue in a tube on a swab | Growing bacteria, fungi, etc. to diagnose disease |
| Hair, skin, feathers, scales | Small, sometimes tiny pieces of skin surface in a tube (up to 10 ml in volume) with or without fixative | Genetic and forensic tests and detection of parasites and pathogens and other tests |
| Cell lines and tissue cultures | No limitation of sample size | Cell lines are artificial products cultured either as primary or continuous cell lines that are used extensively in testing the production of vaccines or other medical products and taxonomic research (e.g. chromosome studies and extraction of DNA) |
| DNA | Small amounts of blood (up to 5 ml), hair, feather follicle, muscle and organ tissue (e.g. liver, heart, etc.), purified DNA, etc. | Sex determination; identification; forensic investigations; taxonomic research; biomedical research |
| Secretions, (saliva, venom, milk) | 1-5 ml in vials | Phylogenetic research, production of anti-venom, biomedical research |