Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fecal protein test for dogs with chronic gut disease
By Murphy, K F et al.Ā·Published in Veterinary clinical pathologyĀ·2003Ā·Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, United KingdomĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Fecal alpha1-proteinase inhibitor concentration in dogs with chronic gastrointestinal disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with chronic gastrointestinal issues had their feces tested for a protein marker called alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor (alpha(1)-PI) to see if it could help diagnose their conditions. The results showed that dogs with specific gastrointestinal diseases had much higher levels of this protein in their feces compared to healthy dogs and those without significant histological abnormalities. This suggests that measuring fecal alpha(1)-PI could be a helpful tool for veterinarians to identify protein-losing enteropathy (a condition where the intestines lose protein) early on, even before blood tests show low protein levels.
People also search for: dog gastrointestinal disease symptoms Ā· dog protein-losing enteropathy diagnosis Ā· fecal tests for dogs with diarrhea
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Fecal alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor (alpha(1)-PI) clearance is a reliable, noninvasive marker for protein-losing enteropathy in human beings. An assay for use in dogs has been developed and validated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate fecal alpha(1)-PI concentration in dogs with chronic gastrointestinal disease, compared with healthy dogs, and to assess its correlation with serum albumin concentration. METHODS: Fecal samples were collected from 2 groups of dogs. Group 1 consisted of 21 clinically healthy client-owned dogs without signs of gastrointestinal disease. Group 2 consisted of 16 dogs referred for investigation of suspected gastrointestinal disease. On the basis of gastric and duodenal biopsies, group 2 was further subdivided into dogs with normal histology (n = 9) and those with histologic abnormalities (n = 7: inflammatory bowel disease, n = 3; lymphangiectasia, n = 4). An ELISA was used to measure alpha(1)-PI concentrations in fecal extracts. RESULTS: Fecal alpha(1)-PI concentrations, expressed as micro g/g of feces, were not significantly different between groups 1 and 2 as a whole. However, fecal alpha(1)-PI concentrations (median, minimum-maximum) were significantly higher in dogs with gastrointestinal diseases associated with histologic abnormalities (60.6 micro g/g, 7.4-201.7 micro g/g) compared with dogs with normal histology (3.8 micro g/g, 0.7-74.0 micro g/g) and control dogs (9.9 micro g/g, 0.0-32.1 micro g/g). There was no significant correlation between fecal alpha(1)-PI and serum albumin concentrations in dogs with gastrointestinal disease. CONCLUSIONS: Increased fecal alpha(1)-PI concentration may signal the need to obtain gastrointestinal biopsies for a final diagnosis. Fecal alpha(1)-PI concentration may be a useful test for early detection of protein-losing enteropathy before decreases in serum albumin concentration can be detected.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12833220/