Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
the identification of biochemical parameters that have the specificity and sensitivity
to both signal the presence and evaluate the intensity of an inflammatory response
(Jacobsen et al.
2005
).
The acute phase reaction is a dynamic process that involves systemic metabolic
changes that activate nonspecific defense mechanisms against any pathogenic
noxa
before specific defense responses are established. Such a highly organized physio-
logical reaction involves changes in concentrations of plasma proteins termed
“acute phase proteins” (Petersen et al.
2004
). The hypothesis at the core of this
research is that the circulating concentrations of these plasma proteins can provide
an objective measure of both the severity of tissue injury and the intensity of the
inflammatory response in horses, offering a useful contribution at both the diagnos-
tic and therapeutic stages. Therefore, the objective of this preliminary research is to
assess the role of serum amyloid A (SAA), fibrinogen, and haptoglobin as equine
inflammation markers and biochemical parameters for the monitoring of the clini-
cal course of horses that are affected by various pathologies.
21.2 Materials and Methods
This study was comprised of 40 horses (24 mares, 10 stallions, and six geldings;
31 adults and nine foals) that were hospitalized in the Department of Veterinary
Pathology, Diagnostic and Clinic of the University of Perugia between April and
June 2009. Twenty-one horses underwent surgery, 17 were treated medically, and
consent for surgery was not obtained for the remaining two cases. Thirty-six horses
were dismissed by the clinic and four were euthanized. The main reasons for
referral were colic (19 adult horses), neonatal syndromes (eight foals), and nonin-
flammatory orthopedic diseases (five horses). Thirty-nine horses were subjected to
blood sampling upon admission. A subgroup of 24 horses was then selected for
sequential blood sampling every 48 h (every 24 h in foals that were suspected to be
affected by neonatal septicemia). Concentrations of SAA, fibrinogen, and hapto-
globin were measured using a commercially available spectrophotometer that
applies a latex-enhanced immunoturbidometric method for SAA and an immunotur-
bidometric method for the other two proteins (
Equinostic EVA1
).
21.3 Results
Upon admission, 28 horses had SAA plasma concentrations within the normal
interval (0-20 mg/l) with values between 0 and 18.67 mg/l. The average value of
this subgroup was 5.98 mg/l. Higher concentrations were measured in 11 patients,
including five of the eight neonatal foals. A diagnosis of septic omphalophlebitis was
formulated for the three foals with the highest SAA concentrations (ranging from
345.56 to 422.73 mg/l). Two of these cases were complicated by septic polyarthritis
