SVEK13044U Veterinary Paraclinics

Volume 2024/2025
Education

MSc Programme in Veterinary Medicine - compulsory

Content

Clinical microbiology including bacteriology, virology, parasitology and mycology focuses on diagnosis, characterization, prevention and control of infectious agents, performance and interpretation of antibiotic and parasiticide (antimicrobial) susceptibility testing and rational use of antimicrobials to minimize development of resistance and maximize clinical efficacy. In addition, the mechanisms of different vaccine types, and evaluation of vaccine efficacy will be in focus.

Clinical Pathology including haematology, clinical chemistry, endocrinology, haemostasis, urinalysis and diagnostic cytology focuses on an overview of relevant tests, application of tests, sampling strategies and result interpretation, pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical variation, practicals in clinical pathology and the clinical pathology laboratory in veterinary practice.

Learning Outcome

The purpose of this propaedeutic course is to provide students with the knowledge, skills and competences required to manage clinical cases through collection of appropriate clinical specimens and correct interpretation of laboratory data as the fundamental basis for diagnosis, vaccination and therapy. As such, the course relates to the Danish Act of veterinarians (Bekendtgørelse om Lov om dyrlæger §12 stk. 1, pkt.. 2). By this course, the student shall acquire:

Knowledge: 
- Explain how to address and/or counteract common causes for variation in the results of diagnostic tests. 

- Explain functions and main disorders of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets; and the appropriate procedures to evaluate these cells in a blood smear. 

- Explain the principles of routine diagnostic methods, including problems and limitations. 

- Explain how pathogen diversity can affect the outcome of diagnostic investigations and surveillance.

- Explain the principles of the use of serological tests in surveillance of disease and vaccine efficacy.

- Explain the basis for prudent use of vaccines against viral infections.

- Explain how and why antimicrobial, including anti-parasitic, agents should be used rationally. 

- Explain the mechanism by which different antimicrobial classes act on bacteria and parasites. 

- Explain the mechanisms by which bacteria become resistant to different antimicrobial classes. 

- Explain the societal relevance of antimicrobial resistance, including implications to public health, animal welfare and healthcare costs.

- Explain the immunological reaction of different vaccine types and which considerations are in play when selection a vaccine.

 

Skills: 
- Prepare a blood smear.

- Identify healthy and abnormal erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets. 

- Perform a leukocyte differential count. 

- Perform urinalysis (sticks, refractometry, sediment analysis). 

- Assess quality of cytological specimens including evaluation of effusions. 

- Identify and classify inflammatory reactions in cytological specimens including effusions.

- Identify and classify neoplastic tissue types and criteria of malignancy in cytological specimens.

- Interpret common clinical pathological, mycological, bacteriological, virological and parasitological test results. 

- Perform and interpret antimicrobial susceptibility tests.

- Perform and interpret tests for antibodies against viral infections.

- Detect and identify fungi, bacteria and parasites in clinical case material. 

- Perform and interpret faecal egg count reduction test for anthelmintic resistance.

- Detect multidrug-resistant bacteria and other pathogens of clinical interest.

- Perform and interpret ELISA for antibody detection pre- and post vaccination.

 

Competences: 
- Behave in a safe way in a laboratory.

- Perform clear case reports.

- Choose appropriate samples and methods for laboratory analysis.

- Have a critical approach to interpretation of data generated by diagnostic tests.

- Understand the limitations of paraclinical test data for diagnosing diseases in animals as well as for choosing appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

- Obtain a critical approach on vaccine selection for control of a pathogen.

- Understanding the pitfalls in how to evaluate vaccine efficacy.

Literature

Parasitology:

Jacobs et al: Principles of Veterinary Parasitology, Wiley Blackwell 2016, ISBN: 978-0-470-67042-2.

Clinical pathology: 
Fundamentals of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, 2.ed. (eds. Stockham & Scott), 2008, ISBN: 9780813800769.

 

 

Approved course certificate of course Medicin, kirurgi og reproduktion - mindre husdyr and SVEK13005U Medicin, kirurgi og reproduktion - store husdyr SVEK13004U
Lectures are conceived to activate the student’s prior knowledge on which to build on; to present overviews of specific topics; and to introduce topics relevant to the performance of practical exercises. Supervised work includes e-learning and guided cases to facilitate learning of practical skills and to activate the students in order to facilitate learning relevant principles and clinical problem-solving in a laboratory context. Practicals are meant to facilitate learning of relevant laboratory methods in clinical microbiology and clinical pathology.

Evaluation model: Dialogue-based model
Lectures, theoretical and practical exercises, case-study work.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 32
  • Preparation
  • 85
  • Theory exercises
  • 20
  • Practical exercises
  • 45
  • E-Learning
  • 15
  • Exam
  • 10
  • Total
  • 207
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Continuous assessment
Type of assessment details
Examination during the course. Examination will consist of assessment of the knowledge obtained during the course, through written short answer questions and multiple choice.
Exam registration requirements

In order to obtain the course certificate students have to:

- Active participation at least 80% of the course in both clinical microbiology and clinical pathology 

Active participation refers to attendance as well as engaging participation in physical exercises and theoretical discussions

- Answer all online tests in clinical microbiology and clinical pathology correct at the latest on Friday of block week 9.  

 

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
passed/not passed
Censorship form
No external censorship
No censorship. More than one examiner.
Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve the grade passed, the student shall (in an adequate level) be able to:

Knowledge: 
- Explain how to address and/or counteract common causes for variation in the results of diagnostic tests. 

- Explain functions and main disorders of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets; and the appropriate procedures to evaluate these cells in a blood smear. 

- Explain the principles of routine diagnostic methods, including problems and limitations. 

- Explain how pathogen diversity can affect the outcome of diagnostic investigations and surveillance.

- Explain the principles of the use of serological tests in surveillance of disease. 

- Explain the basis for prudent use of vaccines against viral infections.

- Explain how and why antimicrobial, including antiparasitic, agents should be used rationally. 

- Explain the mechanism by which different antimicrobial classes act on bacteria and parasites. 

- Explain the mechanisms by which bacteria become resistant to different antimicrobial classes. 

- Explain the societal relevance of antimicrobial resistance, including implications to public health, animal welfare and healthcare costs.

 

Skills: 
- Prepare a blood smear. 

- Identify healthy and abnormal erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets. 

- Perform a leukocyte differential count. 

- Perform urinalysis (sticks, refractometry, sediment analysis). 

- Assess quality of cytological specimens including effusions. 

- Identify and classify inflammatory reactions in cytological specimens including effusions.

- Identify and classify neoplastic tissue types and criteria of malignancy in cytological specimens.

- Interpret common clinical pathological, bacteriological, virological, mycological and parasitological test results.  

- Perform and interpret antimicrobial susceptibility tests. 

- Perform and interpret tests for antibodies against viral infections.

- Detect multidrug-resistant bacteria of clinical interest.

- Detect and identify bacteria, fungi and parasites in clinical case material.

- Perform and interpret faecal egg count reduction test for anthelmintic resistance.

 

Competences: 
- Behave in a safe way in a laboratory.

- Perform clear case reports.

- Choose appropriate samples and methods for laboratory analysis.

- Have a critical approach to interpretation of data generated by diagnostic tests.

- Understand the limitations of paraclinical test data for diagnosing diseases in animals as well as for choosing appropriate antimicrobial therapy.