Acute phase biomarkers of diseases in small ruminants: an overview

Abstract

Acute phase proteins (APPs) are a large group of proteins synthesised mainly by the liver. Their production is stimulated in response to disturbances in the systemic homeostasis. It is known that each species has a specific set of APPs. Serum amyloid A and haptoglobin are the main APPs in small ruminants and their plasma concentration is changed most significantly in comparison with minor APPs such as ceruloplasmin. In general, APPs could provide valuable information on the general condition of the organism but cannot point at the exact disease. Therefore, APPs should be included as an additional indicator in clinical diagnosis. Knowledge of APPs behaviour in disease states has a remarkable potential for detecting animals with subclinical infections, determining the prognosis of clinical infection, differentiation between viral and bacterial disease, treatment monitoring, vaccine effectiveness and stress conditions. The aim of this review is to present data on APPs behaviour during some parasitic and infectious diseases as well as pathological conditions leading to aseptic inflammation and stress in sheep and goats.

Acute Phase Protein Levels as An Auxiliary Tool in Diagnosing Viral Diseases in Ruminants—A Review

“…Infection of sheep with P. multocida , the Gram-negative bacterium, increased the concentration of Hp (34-fold), SAA (7-fold), and Fb (2-fold) [ 87 ], while infection of sheep with Sarcoptes scabei (an arthropod, the itch mite) caused the elevation of the concentration of Hp (2-5-fold), AGP (10-fold), and Cp (2-5-fold). Serum SAA, Hp, LBP, and AGP concentrations increased (approximately 10-150-fold; 10-30-fold; 2-6-fold; 2-10-fold, respectively) in goats infected with Haemonchus contortus (an abomasal blood-sucking nematode, the barber’s pole worm, one of the most pathogenic and common parasites of ruminants) [ 88 ]. Infection with Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria elevated SAA concentration in the mammary epithelial cells of dairy cattle: 18-fold and 12-fold, respectively, while was Hp approximately 1.2-fold.…”

Reference intervals for serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, and fibrinogen in apparently healthy neonatal lambs

“…Serum concentrations increase (positive APPs) or decrease (negative APPs) in response to inflammation 8,9 . Positive APPs are further categorized as major (100‐1000 fold), moderate (2‐10 fold), or minor (0.5‐1 fold), depending on the degree of increase 6,10‐12 . The diagnostic significance of APPs is generally dependent on animal species.…”

“…Haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA) are major APPs, and ceruloplasmin (Cp) and fibrinogen (Fb) are minor APPs in sheep 8,10 . These APPs have been evaluated in numerous studies representing various diseases 11 …”

Effect of Different Finishing Strategies and Steer Temperament on Animal Welfare and Instrumental Meat Tenderness

“…Changes in their concentrations occur early in the course of disease before manifestation of clinical signs. Therefore, they could be also used as an early indicator in various pathological processes [ 46 ]. In this experiment, APP concentration did not differ between treatments within each date ( p > 0.05) because of a high variability (see 25th and 75th percentile values in Figure 4 ), but it was significantly affected by the time period ( Figure 4 ).…”