ALTERNATIVAS PARA CORREÇÃO DE FATORES LIMITANTES E ALTERNATIVAS PARA O AUMENTO DA EFICIÊNCIA DO DIAGNÓSTICO NOS LABORATÓRIOS DE DIAGNÓSTICO VETERINÁRIO

Abstract

Disease control plays an important role in increasing productivity in cattle raising properties. For this control to be efficient, accurate diagnosis of diseases is necessary. The use of an integrated diagnostic system to meet this requirement is sufficient, within which the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories (VLDs) stand out and are responsible for the diagnosis of various diseases. The identification of the causes of inconclusive diagnoses by the LDVs’ team is an important analytical measure that allows the recognition of pre-analytical errors and after the histopathological examination, so that it is possible to develop measures that minimize such errors or mistakes made mainly during the necropsy, because the diagnosis of several diseases is only possible when it is performed in a complete way. The objective of this study was to identify critical points in the routine of veterinary diagnostic laboratories and formulate methods for their correction. The study was divided into three stages: a) retrospective and prospective studies of the causes of inconclusive diagnosis at the Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy (LAP) of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, during June 2020 to December 2023 and January to May 2020, respectively; b) literature review to stratify the causes of inconclusive diagnosis in LDVs located in Brazil; and c) preparation of the book called “Diagnostic conduct of bovine diseases – Practical Guide”, published by Life Editorial Service in 2022. From January 2020 to December 2023, reports from 1368 bovine tissue samples were filed. Of these, 543 (39,7%) resulted in inconclusive diagnoses, among which 91,1% and 8,9% of inconclusive diagnoses occurred when field veterinarians and veterinarians from the LAP team performed the necropsy, respectively, and that 44,5% of all samples sent by external veterinarians were inconclusive, while 18,7% of the animals necropsied by the Institution's team did not have a definitive diagnosis. Incompletely sent samples was the main reason that resulted in inconclusive diagnoses. In the literature review, the number of inconclusive diagnoses ranged from 2,9% to 58,23% and was higher when field veterinarians performed the necropsy; the main reason for inconclusive diagnoses was similar to that found in the present study. The main failures that lead to errors in diagnosis and the impossibility of performing the diagnosis are pre-analytical, especially the lack of knowledge of the professionals in relation to the collection and storage of tissue samples during necropsy, and the recognition of macroscopic lesions. The elaboration of practical materials for diagnosis and that aim to help veterinarians who work directly in the field to improve in field diagnosis practices, such as the Practical Guide developed in this study, is one of the ways that can reduce the damage caused by cattle death.