Concentrations of serum Amyloid‐a (SAA) and haptoglobin (HP) as parameters of inflammatory diseases in cattle

Abstract

The concentrations of the acute‐phase proteins, serum amyloid‐A (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp), were determined in the plasma of healthy cows (n=25) and cows with spontaneous acute (n=6), subacute (n=37), or chronic (n=7) inflammatory diseases. The plasma concentration of SAA alone, Hp alone, and the Hp/SAA ratio, differed significantly (p<0.001) between healthy animals and animals with inflammatory diseases. Plasma Hp concentrations in the group of cows with acute inflammatory diseases were significantly (p<0.01) different from those in the group with chronic inflammatory diseases. Moreover, the Hp/SAA ratio in chronic inflammatory diseases was significantly different from this ratio in acute (p<0.01) and subacute (p<0.05) inflammatory diseases. It is therefore concluded that the plasma concentrations of SAA and Hp and the Hp/SAA ratio are useful parameters to distinguish healthy animals from animals with inflammation and can be helpful in distinguishing between acute and chronic of inflammatory diseases.