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. 2006;30(8):863–872. doi: 10.1007/s11259-006-3373-6

Evaluation of a Commercially Available Human Serum Amyloid A (SAA) Turbidimetric Immunoassay for Determination of Feline SAA Concentration

A E Hansen 1, M K Schaap 1, M Kjelgaard-Hansen 1,✉
PMCID: PMC7089358  PMID: 17139536

Abstract

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is an acute-phase protein in cats likely to be useful for diagnosing and monitoring inflammatory diseases, especially if rapid, reliable and automated assays can be made available. A commercially available automated human SAA turbidimetric immunoassay (SAA-TIA) was evaluated for determination of SAA in cats. Intra-assay and inter-assay imprecisions were in the ranges 2.1–9.9% and 7.0–12.5%, respectively, and without significant inaccuracy. Eighty-eight cats were divided into groups according to (A) the presence or absence of an acute-phase response (APR) (n = 23 and 65, respectively) and (B) clinical diagnosis (clinically healthy cats, cats diagnosed with inflammatory/infectious diseases, endocrine/metabolic diseases, neoplastic diseases, and miscellaneous disorders (n=43, 13, 8, 4 and 20, respectively)). The observed SAA concentrations were, as expected, different for (A) cats with and without an APR and (B) cats with inflammatory/infectious diseases compared to other diagnostic groups, except neoplastic diseases. In conclusion, the SAA concentration in cats could be measured reliably using the commercially available TIA designed for measuring human SAA, which should facilitate implementation of the parameter for routine diagnostic purposes.

Keywords: acute-phase protein, cat, immunoassay, inflammation, serum amyloid A, test validation

Abbreviations

AGP

α1-acid glycoprotein

APR

acute-phase response

CI

confidence interval

CV

coefficient of variation

DSH

domestic short hair

FLUTD

feline lower urinary tract disease

SAA

serum amyloid A

SD

standard deviation

TIA

turbidimetric immunoassay

Footnotes

Hansen, A.E., Schaap, M.K. and Kjelgaard-Hansen, M., 2006. Evaluation of a commercially available human serum amyloid A (SAA) turbidimetric immunoassay for determination of feline SAA concentration. Veterinary Research Communications, 30(8), 863–872

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