Preparation of specimens either for shipment or for personal delivery for rabies diagnosis shall include the following.

1. (1) Damage to the brain caused by shooting or other traumatizing procedures shall be avoided.
2. (2) The head of the suspect animal shall be separated from the body immediately after death by a qualified person. Only the head shall be submitted with the exception that whole bats may be submitted. If only the brain is submitted rather than the entire head, parts of the cerebellum, hippocampus, and brain stem must be included. Specimens which do not include at least two of these three areas of the brain will be considered unsatisfactory due to a lack of sufficient material.
3. (3) The head shall be immediately chilled to between 45 degrees Fahrenheit and 32 degrees Fahrenheit either in a refrigerator or by packing for shipping with sufficient amounts of refrigerants in the container. The head should not be frozen.

4. (4) If specimens are shipped, two containers shall be used for packing.

   1. (A) The immediate (inner) container. Only one head shall be placed in each immediate container which shall be double plastic bags. Attach the owner's name or an identification number to each double-sealed plastic bag. Adhesive tape is useful. Do not use masking tape.

   2. (B) The shipping (outer) container.

      1. (i) The immediate container(s) shall be placed in an insulated shipping container of adequate strength to withstand shipping conditions, such as a styrofoam container inside a cardboard box.
      2. (ii) Sufficient refrigerant shall be added so the head will remain chilled for a minimum of 48 hours. Do not use dry ice. Gel packs or similar refrigerants are recommended. Ice is not recommended but, if used, must be doubled-bagged in heavy-duty plastic bags.
      3. (iii) Packing material, such as newspaper, shall be added to absorb water and blood in the event of leakage and buffer the specimens.
      4. (iv) A completed Texas Department of Health Form G-9, Rabies Submission Form, which is available at the department's Bureau of Laboratories, Texas Department of Health, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas 78756, is required for each head submitted. Each form must contain the same identification information as located on the specimen bag as stated in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph. Submission form(s) shall be placed in a water-proof bag on top of the Styrofoam container inside the cardboard box. If a combination of a Styrofoam container and cardboard box is not used, the form(s) shall be placed on top of the packing material inside the outer container.

      5. (v) Labeling on the outside of the shipping container shall be legible and include:

         1. (I) name, address, and telephone number of the appropriate laboratory (listed in paragraph (6) of this section);
         2. (II) the return address, name, and telephone number of the shipper; and
         3. (III) the following statement: "RABIES SUSPECT - REFRIGERATE ON ARRIVAL."

5. (5) The following procedures are required for shipment:

   1. (A) shipment shall be by bus or other reliable carrier; the department does not recommend the United States Postal Service. If an overnight carrier is used, such as United Parcel Service (UPS) or Federal Express, ship the specimen such that it will arrive by Friday or delay shipment until Monday. These services do not deliver to the department on the weekend;
   2. (B) a shipping receipt will be obtained and retained by the shipper;
   3. (C) at the time of the shipment, the shipper shall telephone the appropriate laboratory and notify laboratory personnel of the shipment; and
   4. (D) the shipper shall provide the return postage (in the form of stamps, not money) if return of the shipping container is desired.

6. (6) The certified laboratories in Texas are:

   1. (A) Austin - Bureau of Laboratories, Texas Department of Health, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas 78756, telephone the rabies shipment notification hotline at 1-800-252-8163, or the local telephone at: (512) 458-7595, (512) 458-7515, or (512) 458-7491.
   2. (B) El Paso - Laboratory, El Paso City-County Health Department, 222 South Campbell, El Paso, Texas 79901, telephone: (915) 543-3536;
   3. (C) Houston - Bureau of Laboratory Services, City of Houston Health Department, 1115 South Braeswood, Houston, Texas 77030, telephone: (713) 558-3468 or (713) 558-3467;
   4. (D) San Antonio - Laboratory, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, 332 West Commerce Street, Room 203, San Antonio, Texas 78205, telephone: (210) 207-8884.

Source Note:The provisions of this §169.33 adopted to be effective August 24, 1982, 7 TexReg 2993; amended to be effective March 29, 1988, 13 TexReg 1337; amended to be effective February 22, 1993, 18 TexReg 845; amended to be effective February 21, 1996, 21 TexReg 963; amended to be effective July 12, 1998, 23 TexReg 7224; amended to be effective March 19, 2003, 28 TexReg 2341.