Published on 9 December 2024

Suspicion of disease or exclusion tests

If a concrete suspicion exists that a notifiable epizootic disease has occurred, the competent cantonal veterinary office must be informed. Depending on the epizootic and the situation, the cantonal veterinary office will initiate the necessary sampling and precautionary control measures (such as a farm quarantine) and investigate the suspicion.
Schema Seuchenverdacht - Was müssen Tierhaltende tun (German)

In contrast, as part of early detection for certain highly contagious epizootic diseases, the farm veterinarian can carry out exclusion tests (German) without the need to take precautionary control measures. Exclusion tests are indicated if the symptoms are unclear and in the absence of a concrete suspicion. Their purpose is to rule out the following diseases:

• Foot and mouth disease (FMD)
• African swine fever (ASF)
• Classical swine fever (CSF)
• Avian influenza (AI)/Classical avian influenza
• Newcastle disease (ND)

Exclusion tests are carried out by the IVI in Mittelhäusern or, in the case of poultry diseases, by the National Reference Centre for Poultry and Rabbit Diseases (NRGK) in Zurich.

For optimal sample collection and to ensure that processes run smoothly, we ask veterinarians to contact the IVI or NRGK by telephone in advance.

If you are unsure about whether to report a suspicion or to conduct exclusion testing, please always contact the cantonal veterinary office for a joint decision.

Requesting exclusion testing by the diagnostic laboratory is free of charge for the animal keeper; the cost is paid by the Swiss government. It is therefore better to test too much rather than too little.