Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Measuring a protein in cat blood and fluid to help diagnose feline
By Romanelli, Pierpaolo et al.·Published in Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)·2024·MYLAV Veterinary Laboratory, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Measurement of Feline Alpha-1 Acid Glycoprotein in Serum and Effusion Using an ELISA Method: Analytical Validation and Diagnostic Role for Feline Infectious Peritonitis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with suspected feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) had their blood and fluid samples tested for a protein called alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP). The results showed that cats with FIP had significantly higher levels of AGP compared to those with other diseases, making it a helpful marker for diagnosing FIP. The new testing method was found to be both precise and accurate, which means it can reliably help veterinarians identify FIP in affected cats. This could lead to quicker and more effective treatment options for cats suffering from this serious condition.
People also search for: cat FIP symptoms · feline infectious peritonitis diagnosis · high AGP levels in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) may support a clinical diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). In this study, we assessed the analytical and diagnostic performances of a novel ELISA method to measure feline AGP. METHODS: AGP was measured in sera and effusions from cats with FIP (n = 20) or with other diseases (n = 15). Precision was calculated based on the coefficient of variation (CV) of repeated testing, and accuracy was calculated by linearity under dilution (LUD). RESULTS: The test is precise (intra-assay CVs: <6.0% in individual samples, <15.0% in pooled samples; inter-assay CVs <11.0% and <15.0%) and accurate (serum LUD r: 0.995; effusion LUD r: 0.950) in serum and in effusions. AGP is higher in cats with FIP than in other cats in both serum (median: 1968, I-III interquartile range: 1216-3371 μg/mL and 296, 246-1963 μg/mL;= 0.009) and effusion (1717, 1011-2379 μg/mL and 233, 165-566 μg/mL;< 0.001). AGP discriminates FIP from other diseases (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: serum, 0.760; effusion, 0.877), and its likelihood ratio is high (serum: 8.50 if AGP > 1590 μg/mL; effusion: 3.75 if AGP > 3780 μg/mL). CONCLUSION: This ELISA method is precise and accurate. AGP in serum and in effusions is a useful diagnostic marker for FIP.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38668244/