Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Acute phase protein changes in cats with heartworm antibodies
By Silvestre-Ferreira, Ana C et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2017·1 Department of Veterinary Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum acute phase proteins in Dirofilaria immitis and Wolbachia seropositive cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats that tested positive for heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) showed higher levels of certain proteins in their blood, which can indicate inflammation or disease. Specifically, cats with symptoms related to heartworm had increased levels of serum amyloid A and ceruloplasmin, while haptoglobin was elevated in all heartworm-positive cats. This suggests that these proteins could be linked to the severity of heartworm disease. If your cat is showing signs of illness and has been diagnosed with heartworm, your veterinarian may monitor these protein levels to assess their health.
People also search for: cat heartworm symptoms · elevated protein levels in cats · heartworm treatment for cats
Abstract
Objectives The aim of this study was to characterise the response of acute phase proteins (APPs) in cats seropositive for Dirofilaria immitis and to its endosymbiont bacterium Wolbachia. Methods The APPs serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp) and ceruloplasmin (Cp) were measured in 25 seropositive cats and in 16 healthy seronegative cats. Results SAA and Cp concentrations were significantly higher in animals with D immitis seropositivity that exhibited clinical signs related to the disease, and Hp was elevated in all D immitis-seropositive animals. There was no significant correlation between APPs and D immitis or Wolbachia species antibody titres. Conclusions and relevance An association between feline seropositivity to D immitis and APP response was demonstrated. Increases in serum SAA and Cp concentrations were related to D immitis-associated clinical signs, whereas Hp increased in all seropositive animals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26783021/