Veterinary diagnostics is a very broad working field, that stretches from development of new tests, to accreditation and use of existing tests. Whereas researchers are developing new techniques and turning new ideas into new tests, specialized companies are developing technological platforms to increase speed, throughput and reliability of diagnostic tests, both old and new. At the same time ICT companies have developed LIMS systems to register and trace large ammounts of samples through the whole process of diagnostic testing.
Miniaturization and robotization allow for reliable high throughput systems in laboratories, on-site use of newly developed test and “labs-on-wheels” with high-tech possibilities. Validation is not just the responsibility of the producer of tests, but laboratories using the tests will also have to put more and more effort in validation of new tests for their specific wishes. Accreditation is the key to transparent and tracable handling of samples, using validated tests so everybody knows what the reliability of the test results are.
Veterinary diagnostic tests are used for the detection and quantification of a broad spectrum of parameters, that include (but are not limited to) for instance:
§ Detection and identification of infectious agents (parasites, fungi, bacteria, mycoplasmas, viruses, prions) through isolation of live pathogens, detection of genome fragments of the agent or detection of specific proteins.
§ Detection of antibodies against specific pathogens or proteins.
§ Detection and quantification of cytokines, hormones, proteins, chemical substances, etc, etc, in blood or tissue samples.
§ Macroscopic and microscopic changes in tissue or blood; (histo)pathology and haematology.
§ Use of special techniques, like X-rays, MRI-scans, CT-scans, etc.
Therefore we invite everyone to share his or her research, knowledge and/or experience with these techniques or any other technique that is or can be used in the veterinary diagnostic field.
To be able to submit an abstract, and give an oral presentation or present a poster during the congress, you have to be a registered attendee of the congress. You can already now submit your abstract, but you will have to register for the congress before acceptance becomes final.
Submission guidelines (DEADLINE EXPIRED!)
§ It is no longer possible to submit abstracts for oral or poster presentations.
Evaluation
More than 150 abstracts were received and evaluated. Everybody has been informed on the decision on his or her abstract by now. A full scientific program is now available on-line.
Oral presentation
§ For an oral presentation you are expected to prepare a PowerPoint or PowerPoint compatible presentation. You can check your presentation and make last minute changes in the computer room.
§ Presentations have to be submitted before each session, so they can be put on the computer beforehand. You can submit your presentation either on USB-stick or CD.
§ For oral presentations the time-slot will be 12 minutes, which includes 2 minutes for questions. To allow sufficient time for all presenters, this time frame will be strictly enforced.
Poster presentation
§ The size of a poster is maximum A0 (which is approximately 84 x 119 cm, or 33 x 47 inch). Posters of this size are acceptable only in portrait format! Posters in landscape format are acceptable too, but note that the maximum width of the poster is 90 cm (35 inches).
§ You can put up your poster from Wednesday 10:00 when the registration opens.
§ Posters need to be removed on Friday afternoon at 14:00 at the latest. Any posters left after that time will be removed and destroyed.
§ There will be no dedicated poster sessions, but posters can be viewed during coffee and lunch breaks, and before and after the conference sessions.
§ For maximum exposure we advise you to put a small note on or next to the poster when you will be present for answering questions.
§ We advise you to make an attractive looking poster that is informative, but does not contain too much text or complicated tables/figures. Do not use small fonts.
§ You may want to have A4-prints of your poster available for attendants who want to take a copy home, and include contact information on the print. This is also a way to get increased and lasting exposure of your work to other scientists.
