Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Serum amyloid A helps diagnose and track kidney infection in cats
By Viviano, Katrina et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2026·School of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: EXPRESS: Serum amyloid A: A biomarker to aid in assessing cats with acute pyelonephritis and monitoring response to antibiotic therapy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of older spayed female cats, some with pre-existing kidney disease, were diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis (a serious kidney infection) and treated with antibiotics. Researchers measured a protein called serum amyloid A (SAA) in these cats, which was found to be much higher than in healthy cats, indicating the presence of infection. As the cats responded to treatment, their SAA levels dropped back to normal within two weeks, showing that monitoring SAA can help vets assess how well the treatment is working. This study suggests that SAA could be a useful tool for diagnosing and tracking recovery in cats with kidney infections.
People also search for: cat kidney infection treatment · cat antibiotics for pyelonephritis · why is my cat's SAA level high
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Serum amyloid A (SAA), the major acute-phase protein in cats, has potential, as in people, to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections. This study compared SAA concentrations in cats with acute pyelonephritis (APN), stable CKD, and healthy cats. In cats with APN, SAA concentrations were monitored during antibiotic treatment to assess whether they correlated with clinical scores. METHODS: A multicentre study recruited client-owned cats with APN (10), with stable CKD (10), or healthy cats (10). Cats with APN were monitored for 21 days during antibiotic therapy to assess SAA concentrations along with clinical scores. RESULTS: The majority of cats with APN were older (>10 years) and spayed females (9/10), with 5/10 having pre-existing CKD. Median SAA concentrations were significantly higher in cats with APN (235.3 mg/L; 9.1-810 mg/L) than in healthy cats (1.85 mg/L (1-2.7 mg/L); p=0.0008) and cats with stable CKD (1.45 mg/L (0.1-8.9 mg/L); p=0.0002). Cats with APN reached peak SAA concentrations (412 mg/L; 18.6-810 mg/L) within 48 hours of presentation. Additionally, with treatment and clinical recovery, median SAA concentrations returned to normal (3.1 mg/L; 1-7.2 mg/L) within 14 days. SAA concentrations were moderately correlated with clinical scores (rs=0.650). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results of this study offer additional insights into the potential benefits and limitations of monitoring SAA concentrations in cats with APN. Cats with APN experience increased SAA concentrations, supporting SAA as a diagnostic tool for identifying affected cats. Serial SAA monitoring may help assess clinical recovery or determine treatment failure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42084293/