Post-mortem examinations and diseases surveillance

A post-mortem examination is performed on a dead animal to identify any signs of a specific disease. It is important that the time from death to the post-mortem examination is within 3-4 hours. Samples of the tissues and organs can be taken for bacterial culture, virus isolation and histopathology to attempt to make an accurate diagnosis. Making an accurate diagnosis allows strategies to be implemented to prevent further disease outbreaks.