Study on diagnostic values of haptoglobin and serum amyloid A concentration in bovine heart diseases

• Published in: Comparative clinical pathology 2009-02, Vol.18 (1), p.47-51
• Main Authors: Nazifi, S., Rezakhani, A., Moaddeli, A., Zarifi, M., Gheisari, H. R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood; Cattle; Hematology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Oncology; Original Article; Pathology
• ISSN: 1618-5641; 1618-565X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00580-008-0753-z

Two hundred dairy breed cattle of different ages [42 were between 3 and 6 months (20 males and 22 females), 55 cases were heifers (16–24 months old) and the rest were adult dairy cattle] from four dairy farms were examined by auscultation. Seventy-seven cases out of 200 cattle had various types of functional (n = 50) and pathological (n = 10) murmurs, pericarditis (n = 10), and endocarditis (n = 7). Twenty normal cattle without any sign of heart disease and cardiac murmurs were also taken as a control group. Blood samples were taken from all cattle having cardiac disorders and control group for determination of haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), and complete blood count. White blood cell (WBC) of cases with endocarditis was significantly higher than other groups. Cases with pericarditis and endocarditis had the highest Hp and SAA levels, respectively. The optimal cutoff point was set, by the receiver operating characteristics method, to >4.74 μg/ml for SAA and >0.14 g/l for Hp with corresponding 58.44% sensitivity and 80.00% specificity for SAA and 22.08% sensitivity and 100% specificity for Hp. Our study showed that for differentiation of four types of cardiac disorders mentioned (functional murmurs, pathologic murmurs, endocarditis, and pericarditis), SAA determination is more suitable than Hp and WBC count.