The Coggins test is named after Leroy Coggins, the veterinarian who invented it in 1970 to detect antibodies against equine infectious anemia virus (EIA). He came up with the idea of using the red cells in blood to detect antibodies against EIA.   Coggins test is also known as Red Blood Cell Agglutination Test. It is a blood test that can be used to determine the presence or absence of EIA in a horse. This test is mainly used in breeding horses to check for the presence of EIA. There are other approved tests to determine if a horse is infected with EIA, but the Coggins test remains the most widely used test for EIA.