Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Serum amyloid A blood test for diagnosing cat kidney infection
By Kurtz, Maxime et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·É, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Usefulness of serum amyloid A for the diagnosis of pyelonephritis in cats: A prospective evaluation.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats suspected of having kidney infections (pyelonephritis) were tested for a protein called serum amyloid A (SAA) to see if it could help with diagnosis. The results showed that cats with confirmed or presumed pyelonephritis had much higher levels of SAA compared to those without the disease. Specifically, a level above 51.3 mg/L was found to be a strong indicator of pyelonephritis, with 88% sensitivity and 94% specificity. This means that measuring SAA could be a helpful tool for veterinarians when diagnosing kidney infections in cats.
People also search for: cat kidney infection symptoms · how to diagnose pyelonephritis in cats · serum amyloid A test for cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of pyelonephritis in cats is challenging and development of a noninvasive and accurate biomarker is needed. HYPOTHESES: Serum amyloid A (SAA) is increased in cats with pyelonephritis, but not in cats with other urinary tract diseases. ANIMALS: A cohort of 125 cats (149 observations). METHODS: This was a prospective study. Group 1 included cats with a diagnosis of pyelonephritis either confirmed by bacterial culture of pelvic urine (Group 1a) or presumed (1b). Group 2 included cats for which pyelonephritis was ruled out (with certainty: Group 2a or judged unlikely: Group 2b). SAA concentration was compared between groups, and accuracy of SAA for the diagnosis of pyelonephritis was calculated using a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Median SAA concentration was significantly higher in Group 1a (86.8 mg/L [73.3; 161.5]; n = 8) than in Group 2a (4 mg/L [1.8; 5.6], n = 19; P < .001) and in Group 2b (5.4 mg/L [3.1; 9.7], n = 113; P < .001). It was also significantly higher in Group 1b (98.8 mg/L [83.1; 147.3]; n = 9) than in Group 2b (P < .001) and Group 2a (P < .001). Optimal diagnostic cut-off for SAA concentration was 51.3 mg/L. yielding a sensitivity of 88% (95% confidence interval: [64%; 99%]) and a specificity of 94% (95% confidence interval: [88%; 97%]). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Measurement of SAA could be used to rule out pyelonephritis in the case of low suspicion of the disease. Increased SAA concentration is suggestive of pyelonephritis despite a lack of specificity.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38669563/