Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Testing blood for Aspergillus IgA to diagnose cat upper respiratory
By Taylor, A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·Faculty of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of Serum Aspergillus-Specific Immunoglobulin A by Indirect ELISA for Diagnosis of Feline Upper Respiratory Tract Aspergillosis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 cats with upper respiratory tract aspergillosis (URTA) were tested for specific antibodies to see if they could help diagnose the condition. The tests showed that 91.3% of these cats had detectable IgA antibodies, which could be useful for diagnosis. However, the study found that measuring IgG antibodies alone was just as effective, with a 100% detection rate for URTA. This means that while IgA can be found in most affected cats, testing for IgG is sufficient for diagnosing this respiratory issue in cats.
People also search for: cat upper respiratory infection treatment · cat aspergillosis symptoms · how to diagnose cat respiratory problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Serological tests for diagnosis of aspergillosis in immunocompetent humans and animals are based on Aspergillus-specific IgG (As-IgG). In humans with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, As-IgA may be detectable even if IgG titers are negative. Cats with upper respiratory tract aspergillosis (URTA) have detectable As-IgG, but their ability to mount an IgA response and its diagnostic utility are unknown. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether serum As-IgA can be detected in cats with URTA and evaluate its diagnostic utility alone or combined with As-IgG. ANIMALS: Twenty-three cats with URTA (Group 1), 32 cats with other respiratory diseases (Group 2), and 84 nonrespiratory controls (Group 3). METHODS: Serum As-IgA and As-IgG was measured by indirect ELISA. Optimal cutoff values were determined by receiver-operating curve analysis. Sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) for URTA diagnosis were determined. RESULTS: Serum IgA was detected in 91.3% of Group 1 cats. The Se of IgA detection was 78.3% and Sp was 96.9% for Group 2, 85.7% for Group 3 and 88.8% for Group 2 and 3 combined. Assay Se for IgG was 100% and Sp was 92.2%. Using combined IgA and IgG results at cutoffs optimized for Sp for IgA and Se for IgG and combined controls (Groups 2 and 3), Se for diagnosis was 100% and Sp was 91.4%. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Most cats with URTA have serum As-IgA antibodies that can be detected by ELISA. Paired measurement of serum As-IgA and IgG shows no benefit for diagnosis of feline URTA over IgG alone.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27581099/