Serum amyloid A and haptoglobin concentrations are increased in plasma of mares with ascending placentitis in the absence of changes in peripheral leukocyte counts or fibrinogen concentration.
Abstract: Currently, placentitis, an important cause of late pregnancy loss in mares, is diagnosed by clinical signs and ultrasonography. Acute phase proteins (APP) are mainly produced and secreted by the liver in response to acute inflammatory stimuli. We hypothesized that APP are increased in mares with placentitis. Methods: Concentrations of serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), fibrinogen (Fb), and white blood cell counts (WBC) were determined in plasma of mares with experimentally induced placentitis and gestationally age-matched control mares. Placentitis was induced via intracervical inoculation of Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus, a common isolate from clinical cases of bacterial placentitis. Concentrations of SAA and Hp were also determined in the 10 days pre-partum in normal mares. Conclusions: Mares with placentitis aborted within 5-25 days after inoculation. Concentrations of SAA and Hp rapidly increased subsequent to experimental induction of placentitis and remained increased until abortion. Neither Fb nor WBC appeared to be useful markers for placentitis. Parturition did not trigger increase in either SAA or Hp in normal foaling mares.
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Publication Date: 2014-06-11 PubMed ID: 24916762DOI: 10.1111/aji.12278Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research investigates changes in specific proteins in the blood of pregnant horses suffering from placentitis, an infection of the placenta that can lead to pregnancy loss. The study found that two proteins (serum amyloid A and haptoglobin) were present in higher concentrations in such cases, suggesting their potential as diagnostic indicators for the condition.
Introduction and Methodology
- This study centered around unlocking the diagnostic potential of Acute Phase Proteins (APPs) in cases of placentitis – the inflammation and infection of the placenta usually leading to foal loss in pregnant mares.
- APPs, primarily produced by the liver, act as the body’s response to inflammatory stimuli, hence the researchers hypothesized that these might show changes in mares affected by placentitis.
- To test this hypothesis, the researchers measured the concentrations of specific APPs, namely serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), and fibrinogen (Fb), along with white blood cell counts (WBC) in mares with induced placentitis. The mares used for comparison were at the same gestational stage but were not subjected to placentitis.
- Placentitis in the test mares was stimulated using the Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus, which is often found in clinical cases of bacterial placentitis.
- Finally, the levels of both SAA and Hp were evaluated in the ten days leading up to childbirth in mares that did not have placentitis.
Research Findings and Conclusions
- The researchers observed mares with induced placentitis having abortions between 5-25 days post-inoculation. Following placentitis induction, the concentrations of SAA and Hp surged and remained high until the pregnancy terminated, suggesting their possible utility in detecting this condition.
- Neither fibrinogen (Fb) nor white blood cell counts (WBC) proved to be reliable markers for placentitis as no significant alterations were observed in their levels with the onset of the disease.
- The researchers also observed that neither SAA nor Hp concentrations rose during the parturition process in regular, healthy foaling mares. This further reinforces the potential role of heightened SAA and Hp concentrations as indicators of placentitis rather than a general distress associated with parturition in mares.
Cite This Article
APA
Canisso IF, Ball BA, Cray C, Williams NM, Scoggin KE, Davolli GM, Squires EL, Troedsson MH.
(2014).
Serum amyloid A and haptoglobin concentrations are increased in plasma of mares with ascending placentitis in the absence of changes in peripheral leukocyte counts or fibrinogen concentration.
Am J Reprod Immunol, 72(4), 376-385.
https://doi.org/10.1111/aji.12278 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Reproduction Laboratory, The Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Acute-Phase Proteins / metabolism
- Animals
- Female
- Fibrinogen / metabolism
- Haptoglobins / metabolism
- Horse Diseases
- Horses
- Inflammation / pathology
- Leukocyte Count
- Liver / metabolism
- Placenta / pathology
- Placenta Diseases / immunology
- Placenta Diseases / microbiology
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / veterinary
- Serum Amyloid A Protein / metabolism
- Streptococcal Infections / immunology
- Streptococcus equi / pathogenicity
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Bazzano M, Marchegiani A, Troisi A, McLean A, Laus F. Serum Amyloid A as a Promising Biomarker in Domestic Animals' Reproduction: Current Knowledge and Future Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2022 Feb 25;12(5).
- Satué K, Calvo A, Muñoz A, Fazio E, Medica P. Interrelationship between reproductive hormones and acute phase proteins during estrous cycle and pregnancy in Spanish purebred broodmares. Vet Anim Sci 2021 Dec;14:100212.
- Edwards KL, Miller MA, Siegal-Willott J, Brown JL. Serum Health Biomarkers in African and Asian Elephants: Value Ranges and Clinical Values Indicative of the Immune Response. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 27;10(10).
- Canisso IF, Segabinazzi LGTM, Fedorka CE. Persistent Breeding-Induced Endometritis in Mares - a Multifaceted Challenge: From Clinical Aspects to Immunopathogenesis and Pathobiology. Int J Mol Sci 2020 Feb 20;21(4).
- 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.
- Loux SC, Dini P, El-Sheikh Ali H, Kalbfleisch T, Ball BA. Characterization of the placental transcriptome through mid to late gestation in the mare. PLoS One 2019;14(11):e0224497.
- 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.
- Murase H, Miyazawa M, Harada T, Ozawa M, Sato F, Hada T. Aborted fetal sizes of Thoroughbred horses in Hidaka, Japan, between 2005 and 2015. J Equine Sci 2017;28(2):47-53.
- Huang YH, Kuo HC, Huang FC, Yu HR, Hsieh KS, Yang YL, Sheen JM, Li SC, Kuo HC. Hepcidin-Induced Iron Deficiency Is Related to Transient Anemia and Hypoferremia in Kawasaki Disease Patients. Int J Mol Sci 2016 May 12;17(5).
- Turło A, Cywińska A, Czopowicz M, Witkowski L, Niedźwiedź A, Słowikowska M, Borowicz H, Jaśkiewicz A, Winnicka A. The Effect of Different Types of Musculoskeletal Injuries on Blood Concentration of Serum Amyloid A in Thoroughbred Racehorses. PLoS One 2015;10(10):e0140673.
- Hardefeldt L, Thomas K, Page S, Norris J, Browning G, El Hage C, Stewart A, Gilkerson J, Muscatello G, Verwilghen D, van Galen G, Bauquier J, Cuming R, Reynolds B, Whittaker C, Wilkes E, Clulow J, Burden C, Begg L. Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for horses in Australia. Aust Vet J 2025 Dec;103(12):781-889.
- Marchio SP, El-Sheikh Ali H, Scott MA, Barbosa Fernandes C, Scoggin KE, Troedsson M, Boakari Y. Decoding the amniotic membrane transcriptome during equine ascending placentitis. Sci Rep 2025 Aug 21;15(1):30714.
- Jakobsen N, Weber NR, Larsen I, Pedersen KS. Diagnostic utility of acute phase proteins and their ability to guide antibiotic usage in pigs, horses, and cattle: a mapping review. Acta Vet Scand 2024 Sep 5;66(1):45.
- Zhai Y, Xia F, Shi L, Ma W, Lv X, Sun W, Ji P, Gao S, Machaty Z, Liu G, Zhang L. Early Pregnancy Markers in the Serum of Ewes Identified via Proteomic and Metabolomic Analyses. Int J Mol Sci 2023 Sep 13;24(18).
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