Serum bile acids concentrations in healthy and clinically ill neonatal foals.
Abstract: Reference ranges for serum bile acids (SBA) concentration are well established in healthy adult horses. Increased values are indicative of hepatic disease. Objective: SBA concentrations are significantly greater in the neonatal period compared with mature horses, and illness in the neonatal period will further increase SBA. Methods: Ten healthy mature horses, 12 healthy foals, and 31 clinically ill foals. Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study. Blood samples were obtained once from the mature horses, from healthy foals immediately after birth, at 2 days, and at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks of age; and from ill foals less than 1 month of age at the time of admission to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. SBA concentrations were determined enzymatically and by radioimmunoassay. Total and direct bilirubin and triglyceride concentrations were measured, as well as sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activities. Results: There was a significant negative correlation between age and SBA concentration. Compared with mature horses, SBA concentrations were significantly greater in healthy foals at each collection time over the first 6 weeks of life. Radioimmunoassay values were lower than enzymatic SBA values, with increasing bias as the mean difference between values increased. When comparing age-matched values between healthy and ill foals, there were no significant differences in SBA. None of the ill foals had a primary diagnosis of hepatic disease. There was no significant correlation between the SBA concentration and the bilirubin or triglyceride concentrations or the GGT activity. There was a significant direct correlation between increased SBA and serum SDH activity in healthy foals only. Conclusions: SBA concentrations in foals are significantly higher in the early neonatal period, underscoring the importance of using age-matched references when evaluating clinical pathology values during the neonatal period.
Publication Date: 2007-06-08 PubMed ID: 17552459DOI: 10.1892/0891-6640(2007)21[508:sbacih]2.0.co;2Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- U.S. Gov't
- Non-P.H.S.
Summary
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The research article is about a study conducted to analyze serum bile acids (SBA) concentrations in both healthy and ill neonatal foals and their comparison to mature horses.
Objective and Methodology
- The aim of this study was to understand the differences in SBA concentration between mature horses, healthy foals, and ill foals.
- The researchers had hypothesized that SBA values would be significantly higher in the neonatal period compared to mature horses, and further higher in ill foals.
- The study involved assessing the SBA concentration in 10 healthy mature horses, 12 healthy foals and 31 clinically ill foals.
- The methodology included a prospective cross-sectional study where blood samples were obtained from the mature horses, healthy foals immediately after birth, and at scheduled intervals until 6 weeks of age.
- The SBA concentrations in these samples were determined using enzymatic and radioimmunoassay methods. Other assessments like bilirubin and triglyceride concentrations, as well as SDH and GGT activities were also measured.
Key Findings
- The results indicated a significant inverse correlation between age and SBA concentration i.e., younger horses had a higher concentration of SBA.
- The SBA concentrations were notably higher in foals for each collection time over the first six-week period when compared to mature horses.
- However, between healthy and ill foals of the same age, there were no significant differences in SBA concentrations.
- Further, there was no significant correlation between SBA concentration and the bilirubin or triglyceride concentrations or GGT activity. A significant correlation was observed only between increased SBA and serum SDH activity in healthy foals.
Conclusions
- The findings concluded that SBA concentrations in foals are significantly higher in the early neonatal period. This stresses the need to use age-matched references for evaluating clinical pathology values during the neonatal period for diagnosis and therapy.
- The study also emphasizes the importance of understanding the variation in SBA concentration due to age of the horse and its health condition.
- This could facilitate more accurate diagnosis and treatment plans for neonatal foals suffering from hepatic diseases.
Cite This Article
APA
Barton MH, LeRoy BE.
(2007).
Serum bile acids concentrations in healthy and clinically ill neonatal foals.
J Vet Intern Med, 21(3), 508-513.
https://doi.org/10.1892/0891-6640(2007)21[508:sbacih]2.0.co;2 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. mbarton@vet.uga.edu
MeSH Terms
- Aging / blood
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Bile Acids and Salts / blood
- Critical Illness
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horses / blood
- L-Iditol 2-Dehydrogenase / blood
- L-Iditol 2-Dehydrogenase / metabolism
- Liver Diseases / blood
- Liver Diseases / diagnosis
- Liver Diseases / veterinary
- Prospective Studies
- Radioimmunoassay / methods
- Radioimmunoassay / veterinary
- gamma-Glutamyltransferase / blood
- gamma-Glutamyltransferase / metabolism
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Sanmartí J, Armengou L, Viu J, Alguacil E, Civit S, Ríos J, Jose-Cunilleras E. Plasma iron concentrations and systemic inflammatory response syndrome in neonatal foals.. J Vet Intern Med 2020 May;34(3):1325-1331.
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