Photo of the Week: Customizable Flexible Swab Extender

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Wildlife Services program developed a 3D printed extender device that extends functional swab length. The swab extenders can be printed from flexible or rigid materials, are customizable to any length and width, are reusable, can be sterilized, and fit commercial swabs, making them a cost effective and functional addition for use in most sampling situations. Wildlife Services find them particularly useful for nasal and tonsil sampling of large ungulates (deer, elk, bison) which have such deep nasal cavities that nasal swabbing for disease detection is unreliable. Initial results show 37.5% increased detection sensitivity (chronic wasting disease) while retaining 100% assay specificity.

Photo Credit: L Rummel (main photo); S Hibbs-Shipp (inset photo)