Veterinary Sampling Cards — EMENA

Identify the FTA Card

• Label the card and use the sample description area to identify each used spot. Use only a pencil as ink from a pen may run, thus contaminating the sample.
• Store unused cards in a dry, cool place (avoid light and excessive humidity).
• Always wear gloves to avoid contamination of the cards. 

Press Sample onto FTA Card

• The sample should not be completely dry in order to enable adherence to the paper material (soak up effect).
• Cards can be used for homogenized tissue samples, swabs such as tracheal swabs or any type of liquid sample (up to 125 μl) including whole blood.
• To apply swabs to the FTA card, directly press (do not rub or smear) it on a sample spot.
• Make sure sufficient amount of sample material has been transferred to the FTA card. Ideally the complete spot is evenly covered with a single sample.
• Allow the samples to dry at room temperature. DO NOT heat the card.

Put FTA Card into Bag and Seal

• Customers who would like to send purified DNA, e.g. in DNA-Extraction-mix (provided Real-Time PCR kits), for further analysis should use protein saver 903 cards from Whatman® (cat. No. 10531018).
• Apply 50–80 μl of DNA extract to  the spot and let it dry at room temperature.
• Note that protein saver cards can not be used to send blood or swab samples and is not appropriate for RNA preparations.

Ship the Envelope with the Card and Completed Form

• To protect your samples from environmental factors during transport, place your FTA card into the original bag and seal it.
• Make sure to always send cards  accompanied by an appropriately completed Sample Submission Form.

Send samples with the completed form to: Kemin Biologics, Toekomstlaan 42, 2200 Herentals, Belgium.