Recommended reading lists for the 2027 ECVP examination are provided below.
Please note that reading lists are provided for guidance only and are not exhaustive. The examination will not necessarily be limited to the suggested references, as other books or journals may contain good papers or articles on veterinary pathology and these could potentially be included in the examination. Therefore, you should maintain a broad scan of relevant publications.
Each year approximately 80% of examination questions are taken from books and journals listed in the reading list. Your journal scan should focus on the last five years. Journal articles in print or electronically released before 1st September before the examination are considered in preparation for the examination. As an example, for the 2027 examination, your journal scan should focus on the period that goes from 1st January 2022 to 31st August 2026.
Literature list for 2027 examination
Books:
1. Robbins, Cotran & Kumar Pathologic Basis of Disease, by V. Kumar, A.K. Abbas, J.C. Aster, J. Debnath, A. Das, 11th ed, Elsevier, 2025. ISBN: 9780443264528. (General Pathology, Chapters 1-8)
2. Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease, by J.F. Zachary, 7th ed, Mosby Press, 2022. ISBN: 9780323713139. (Section I: Chapters 1-6, concentrate on pathogenetic mechanisms and diseases described in animals).
Journals: (mainly focus on review articles relevant for general pathology):
1. Nature (main Journal only; reviews only)
2. Science (reviews only)
3. Veterinary Pathology
2.1. SMALL ANIMALS (dog, cat) and LARGE ANIMALS (horse, sheep, goat, cattle, pig)
Books:
1. Jubb, Kennedy & Palmer’s Pathology of Domestic Animals: Volume 1-3, by M.G. Maxie, 7th ed, Saunders Ltd., 2025. ISBN: 9780443279119.
2. Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease, by J.F. Zachary, 7th ed, Mosby Press, 2022. ISBN: 9780323713139.
Journals:
1. Veterinary Pathology
2. Journal of Comparative Pathology
2.2. EXOTIC AND WILDLIFE ANIMALS (cage birds, zoo animals, wildlife)
Books:
1. Pathology of Wildlife and Zoo Animals, by K.A. Terio, D. McAloose, J. St. Leger, 2nd ed, Academic press, 2025. ISBN: 9780443184383.
2. Pathology of Pet and Aviary Birds, by R.E. Schmidt, J.D. Struthers, D.N. Phalen, 3rd ed, Wiley-Blackwell, 2024. ISBN: 9781119650485.
Journals:
1. Veterinary Pathology
2. Journal of Comparative Pathology
3. Journal of Wildlife Diseases
2.3. POULTRY (industrially kept birds)
Books:
1. Diseases of Poultry, by D.e. Swayne, M. Boulianne, C.M. Logue, L.R. McDougald, V. Nair, D.L. Suarez, S. de Wit, T. Grimes, D. Johnson, M. Kromm, T.Y. Prajitno, I. Rubinoff, G. Zavala, 14th ed, Wiley-Blackwell, 2019. ISBN: 9781119371199.
2. Avian Histopathology, by T. Abdul-Aziz, O.J. Fletcher, H.J. Barnes, 4th ed, American Association of Avian Pathologists, 2016. ISBN: 9780978916367.
Journals:
1. Avian Pathology
2. Avian Diseases
3. Veterinary Pathology
4. Journal of Comparative Pathology
2.4. LABORATORY ANIMALS (mouse, rat, non-human primate, dog, rabbit, guinea pig, zebrafish and other species used for biomedical research and drug safety assessment)
This section covers non-infectious spontaneous background pathology, infectious diseases of laboratory animal species, and pathology of well-established or well-described animal models of human diseases (transgenic, experimental, infectious…). Questions on animal models may represent up to 40% of the exam.
Books:
1. Background Lesions in Laboratory Animals, by E.F. McInnes, 1st ed, Saunders Ltd., 2012. ISBN 9780702035197
2. Pathology of Laboratory Rodents and Rabbits, by S.W. Barthold, D.M. Imai, 5th ed, Wiley-Blackwell, 2025. ISBN: 9781394242856
3. Nonhuman Primates in Biomedical Research, by C.R. Abee, K. Mansfield, S.D. Tardif, T. Morris, 2nd ed, Academic Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780123813664. (Volume 2: Diseases, Chapters 1, 2, 4 and 6)
Journals:
Only articles related to spontaneous non-infectious background pathology, spontaneous infectious diseases, and pathology of well-described or well-established animal models of human disease:
1. Toxicologic Pathology
2. Veterinary Pathology