Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Serum procalcitonin and heparin-binding protein to detect bacterial
By Cho, Jae-Geum et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2021·Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation and comparison of serum procalcitonin and heparin-binding protein levels as biomarkers of bacterial infection in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 56 cats, including 40 with bacterial infections, were tested for specific markers that could help diagnose infections more easily. Researchers found that high levels of procalcitonin (a protein that can indicate infection) were significantly higher in infected cats compared to healthy ones, making it a useful tool for vets. In fact, a procalcitonin level above 366 pg/ml was particularly effective in identifying bacterial infections. This means that if your cat shows signs of illness, a vet might check procalcitonin levels to help determine if there's a bacterial infection present.
People also search for: cat bacterial infection symptoms · procalcitonin test for cats · how to tell if my cat is sick
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: As bacterial infection can lead to sepsis and high mortality, early and easy diagnosis of sepsis can improve survival. In cats, the diagnosis of systemic bacterial infection is quite challenging, and, usually, non-specific markers for inflammation are employed. In humans, procalcitonin, heparin-binding protein and absolute neutrophil count are biomarkers that are studied in bacterial infections and sepsis owing to their high sensitivity and specificity. METHODS: A total of 56 cats were categorised into 16 healthy cats and 40 bacterially infected cats, diagnosed by various examinations. In all cats, serum procalcitonin and heparin-binding protein levels were measured using ELISA and an absolute neutrophil count was performed. RESULTS: The median values of procalcitonin levels and absolute neutrophil count were significantly higher in the infection group than in the normal group, but heparin-binding protein levels were not. A procalcitonin level >366 pg/ml was a better biomarker of bacterial infection than heparin-binding protein and absolute neutrophil count (sensitivity: 67.5%; specificity: 93.8%). Procalcitonin was not correlated with heparin-binding protein ( = 0.213, = 0.115) and absolute neutrophil count ( = 0.393, = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: High procalcitonin levels in cats were associated with bacterial infection. Hence, procalcitonin could be a valuable marker for diagnosing bacterial infections in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33034249/