FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Clinical Assessment of a Point-of-Care Serum Amyloid A Assay...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2016; 30(4); 1338-1343; doi: 10.1111/jvim.13978

Clinical Assessment of a Point-of-Care Serum Amyloid A Assay in Foals with Bronchopneumonia.

Abstract: Despite the paucity of data available, stall-side serum amyloid (SAA) assays are commonly used to make diagnostic and treatment decisions in foals with bronchopneumonia. Objective: Measurement of SAA concentrations can accurately differentiate pneumonic from healthy foals. Methods: Fifty-four pneumonic foals between 3 weeks and 5 months of age were compared to 44 healthy controls. In addition, 47 foals on a farm endemic for R. equi infections were studied. Methods: Serum samples were collected from pneumonic foals at hospital admission. Foals were categorized as having pneumonia caused by R. equi or by other microorganisms based on culture of a tracheobronchial aspirate. In addition, serum samples were obtained at 2-week intervals from foals born at a farm endemic for R. equi. SAA concentrations were measured by a point-of-care assay. Diagnostic performance of SAA was assessed by use of receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: Concentrations of SAA in foals with bronchopneumonia were significantly (P < 0.001) higher than those of healthy foals, but 15 of 54 pneumonic foals (28%) had SAA concentrations <5 μg/mL. There was no correlation between SAA concentrations and radiographic score in foals with R. equi pneumonia. The ability of SAA to predict development of R. equi pneumonia at the endemic farm was limited with a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 77%. Conclusions: Overall, SAA concentrations are significantly higher in pneumonic than in healthy foals. However, performance of SAA in detecting pneumonic foals is limited by the high proportion of false-positive and false-negative results.
Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2016-06-14 PubMed ID: 27296082PubMed Central: PMC5094540DOI: 10.1111/jvim.13978Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article investigates how serum amyloid A (SAA) levels in foals can help diagnose bronchopneumonia. It concludes that while SAA levels are generally higher in foals with the condition, the test also produces many false positives and negatives.

Objective and Methodology

  • This study aimed to determine if SAA concentrations can accurately differentiate foals with pneumonia from healthy ones. It was hypothesized that higher SAA concentrations would be present in foals suffering from bronchopneumonia.
  • 54 foals aged between 3 weeks and 5 months diagnosed with pneumonia were matched with 44 healthy foals for comparison. Additionally, 47 foals residing in a farm where R. equi infections were common were studied.
  • Serum samples were collected from foals during admission to the hospital. The type of pneumonia (caused by R. equi or other microorganisms) was determined by culturing a tracheobronchial aspirate.
  • SAA concentrations were then measured via a point-of-care assay and assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves to gauge the diagnostic accuracy.

Findings

  • SAA concentrations in foals with bronchopneumonia were significantly higher than in healthy foals (P < 0.001). However, 28% (15 out of 54) of the foals with pneumonia had SAA concentrations less than 5 μg/mL.
  • No correlation was found between SAA concentrations and radiographic score in those with R. equi pneumonia.
  • The ability of SAA to predict the development of R. equi pneumonia at the endemic farm was limited, with a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 77%.

Conclusion

  • While the study could establish that SAA concentrations are generally higher in foals with pneumonia than in healthy ones, the diagnostic efficacy of this measure was restricted due to the high rate of false-positive and false-negative results.

Cite This Article

APA
Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Miller CD. (2016). Clinical Assessment of a Point-of-Care Serum Amyloid A Assay in Foals with Bronchopneumonia. J Vet Intern Med, 30(4), 1338-1343. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.13978

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 30
Issue: 4
Pages: 1338-1343

Researcher Affiliations

Giguère, S
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
Berghaus, L J
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
Miller, C D
  • Equine Medical Center of Ocala, Ocala, FL.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Infections / blood
  • Bacterial Infections / diagnosis
  • Bacterial Infections / veterinary
  • Bronchopneumonia / blood
  • Bronchopneumonia / diagnosis
  • Bronchopneumonia / veterinary
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Horse Diseases / blood
  • Horses
  • Point-of-Care Systems
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serum Amyloid A Protein / metabolism

References

This article includes 27 references
  1. Cohen ND. Causes of and farm management factors associated with disease and death in foals.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1994 May 15;204(10):1644-51.
    pubmed: 8050947
  2. Anonymous. Part I: Baseline reference of 1998 equine health management.. USDA‐APHIS, Veterinary Services Report 2008.
  3. Hoffman AM, Viel L, Prescott JF, Rosendal S, Thorsen J. Association of microbiologic flora with clinical, endoscopic, and pulmonary cytologic findings in foals with distal respiratory tract infection.. Am J Vet Res 1993 Oct;54(10):1615-22.
    pubmed: 8250386
  4. Giguère S, Gaskin JM, Miller C, Bowman JL. Evaluation of a commercially available hyperimmune plasma product for prevention of naturally acquired pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi in foals.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002 Jan 1;220(1):59-63.
    pubmed: 12680449doi: 10.2460/javma.2002.220.59google scholar: lookup
  5. Chaffin MK, Cohen ND, Martens RJ, O'Conor M, Bernstein LR. Evaluation of the efficacy of gallium maltolate for chemoprophylaxis against pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi infection in foals.. Am J Vet Res 2011 Jul;72(7):945-57.
    pubmed: 21728856doi: 10.2460/ajvr.72.7.945google scholar: lookup
  6. Gabay C, Kushner I. Acute-phase proteins and other systemic responses to inflammation.. N Engl J Med 1999 Feb 11;340(6):448-54.
    pubmed: 9971870doi: 10.1056/nejm199902113400607google scholar: lookup
  7. Crisman MV, Scarratt WK, Zimmerman KL. Blood proteins and inflammation in the horse.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2008 Aug;24(2):285-97, vi.
    pubmed: 18652956doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2008.03.004google scholar: lookup
  8. Reuss SM, Cohen ND. Update on bacterial pneumonia in the foal and weanling.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2015 Apr;31(1):121-35.
    pubmed: 25600452doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2014.11.004google scholar: lookup
  9. Leclere M, Magdesian KG, Kass PH, Pusterla N, Rhodes DM. Comparison of the clinical, microbiological, radiological and haematological features of foals with pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi and other bacteria.. Vet J 2011 Jan;187(1):109-12.
    pubmed: 19932977doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.10.025google scholar: lookup
  10. Belgrave RL, Dickey MM, Arheart KL, Cray C. Assessment of serum amyloid A testing of horses and its clinical application in a specialized equine practice.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013 Jul 1;243(1):113-9.
    pubmed: 23786199doi: 10.2460/javma.243.1.113google scholar: lookup
  11. Cohen ND, Chaffin MK, Vandenplas ML, Edwards RF, Nevill M, Moore JN, Martens RJ. Study of serum amyloid A concentrations as a means of achieving early diagnosis of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia.. Equine Vet J 2005 May;37(3):212-6.
    pubmed: 15892228doi: 10.2746/0425164054530704google scholar: lookup
  12. Hultén C, Demmers S. Serum amyloid A (SAA) as an aid in the management of infectious disease in the foal: comparison with total leucocyte count, neutrophil count and fibrinogen.. Equine Vet J 2002 Nov;34(7):693-8.
    pubmed: 12455840doi: 10.2746/042516402776250360google scholar: lookup
  13. Giguère S, Roberts GD. Association between radiographic pattern and outcome in foals with pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi.. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2012 Nov-Dec;53(6):601-4.
    pubmed: 22742474doi: 10.1111/j.1740-8261.2012.01964.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  14. Giguère S, Hernandez J, Gaskin J, Miller C, Bowman JL. Evaluation of white blood cell concentration, plasma fibrinogen concentration, and an agar gel immunodiffusion test for early identification of foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2003 Mar 15;222(6):775-81.
    pubmed: 12675301doi: 10.2460/javma.2003.222.775google scholar: lookup
  15. Millar HR, Simpson JG, Stalker AL. An evaluation of the heat precipitation method for plasma fibrinogen estimation.. J Clin Pathol 1971 Dec;24(9):827-30.
    pmc: PMC477193pubmed: 5003786doi: 10.1136/jcp.24.9.827google scholar: lookup
  16. DeLong ER, DeLong DM, Clarke-Pearson DL. Comparing the areas under two or more correlated receiver operating characteristic curves: a nonparametric approach.. Biometrics 1988 Sep;44(3):837-45.
    pubmed: 3203132
  17. Greiner M, Pfeiffer D, Smith RD. Principles and practical application of the receiver-operating characteristic analysis for diagnostic tests.. Prev Vet Med 2000 May 30;45(1-2):23-41.
    pubmed: 10802332doi: 10.1016/s0167-5877(00)00115-xgoogle scholar: lookup
  18. Giguère S, Jacks S, Roberts GD, Hernandez J, Long MT, Ellis C. Retrospective comparison of azithromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin for the treatment of foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia.. J Vet Intern Med 2004 Jul-Aug;18(4):568-73.
    pubmed: 15320600doi: 10.1892/0891-6640(2004)18<568:rcoaca>2.0.co;2google scholar: lookup
  19. Falcon J, Smith BP, O'Brien TR, Carlson GP, Biberstein E. Clinical and radiographic findings in Corynebacterium equi pneumonia of foals.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1985 Mar 15;186(6):593-9.
    pubmed: 3988594
  20. Passamonti F, Vardi DM, Stefanetti V, Marenzoni ML, Prato S, Cévese P, Coletti M, Pepe M, Casagrande Proietti P, Olea-Popelka F. Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals: an assessment of the early diagnostic value of serum amyloid A and plasma fibrinogen concentrations in equine clinical practice.. Vet J 2015 Feb;203(2):211-8.
    pubmed: 25555337doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.08.033google scholar: lookup
  21. Slovis NM, McCracken JL, Mundy G. How to use thoracic ultrasound to screen foals for Rhodococcus equi at affected farms.. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract 2005;51:274–278.
  22. Venner M, Kerth R, Klug E. Evaluation of tulathromycin in the treatment of pulmonary abscesses in foals.. Vet J 2007 Sep;174(2):418-21.
    pubmed: 17045497doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2006.08.016google scholar: lookup
  23. Chaffin MK, Cohen ND, Blodgett GP. Evaluation of ultrasonographic screening methods for early detection of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals.. J Equine Vet Sci 2012;32:S20–S21.
  24. Venner M, Rödiger A, Laemmer M, Giguère S. Failure of antimicrobial therapy to accelerate spontaneous healing of subclinical pulmonary abscesses on a farm with endemic infections caused by Rhodococcus equi.. Vet J 2012 Jun;192(3):293-8.
    pubmed: 21924651doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.07.004google scholar: lookup
  25. Venner M, Astheimer K, Lämmer M, Giguère S. Efficacy of mass antimicrobial treatment of foals with subclinical pulmonary abscesses associated with Rhodococcus equi.. J Vet Intern Med 2013 Jan-Feb;27(1):171-6.
    pubmed: 23278131doi: 10.1111/jvim.12030google scholar: lookup
  26. Smith RD. Veterinary Clinical Epidemiology: A Problem‐Oriented Approach, 2nd ed. CRC Press Boca Raton, FL; 1995:304p.
  27. Giguère S, Cohen ND, Chaffin MK, Slovis NM, Hondalus MK, Hines SA, Prescott JF. Diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of infections caused by Rhodococcus equi in foals.. J Vet Intern Med 2011 Nov-Dec;25(6):1209-20.
    pubmed: 22092608doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.00835.xgoogle scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
  1. Hassanpour A, Moghaddam S. Evaluation of serum concentration of acute-phase proteins (haptoglobin and serum amyloid A) in the affected Arabian foals with rhodococcosis. Vet Med Sci 2023 Jan;9(1):144-149.
    doi: 10.1002/vms3.1005pubmed: 36423204google scholar: lookup
  2. Rakowska A, Cywinska A, Witkowski L. Current Trends in Understanding and Managing Equine Rhodococcosis. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 18;10(10).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10101910pubmed: 33081047google scholar: lookup
  3. Long A, Nolen-Walston R. Equine Inflammatory Markers in the Twenty-First Century: A Focus on Serum Amyloid A. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2020 Apr;36(1):147-160.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2019.12.005pubmed: 32007299google scholar: lookup
  4. Witkowska-Piłaszewicz OD, Żmigrodzka M, Winnicka A, Miśkiewicz A, Strzelec K, Cywińska A. Serum amyloid A in equine health and disease. Equine Vet J 2019 May;51(3):293-298.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.13062pubmed: 30565319google scholar: lookup
  5. Rakowska A, Czopowicz M, Bereznowski A, Witkowski L. Investigation of the relationship between pulmonary lesions based on lung ultrasound and respiratory clinical signs in foals with suspected pulmonary rhodococcosis. Sci Rep 2023 Nov 8;13(1):19401.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-46833-2pubmed: 37938262google scholar: lookup
  6. Tsuzuki N, Maruko T, Takeyama A, Ikeda H, Mizuguchi Y. Evaluation of oxidative stress in foals with Rhodococcus equi infection-induced pneumonia for the judgment of therapeutic effect. J Vet Med Sci 2023 Dec 6;85(12):1277-1280.
    doi: 10.1292/jvms.23-0260pubmed: 37853622google scholar: lookup
  7. Hepworth-Warren KL, Estell K, Cowles B, Amodie D, Crisman M. Utility of serum amyloid A in monitoring clinical response to antimicrobial treatment in horses with bacterial pneumonia. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Sep-Oct;37(5):1917-1922.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16818pubmed: 37522636google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.