Elsevier

The Veterinary Journal

Volume 182, Issue 1, October 2009, Pages 125-130
The Veterinary Journal

Short Communication
The role of acute phase proteins in diagnosis and management of steroid-responsive meningitis arteritis in dogs

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.05.001Get rights and content

Abstract

Acute phase proteins (APPs) have become an important tool in the diagnosis, management and prognosis of inflammatory diseases in humans and are developing a similar utility in domestic species. Steroid-responsive meningitis arteritis (SRMA) is a well-recognised inflammatory disease of the dog, the diagnosis of which remains unsatisfactory based on clinical criteria and non-specific laboratory investigations. In this prospective pilot study the authors examined the acute phase response throughout the course of SRMA in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by evaluating three key stages in disease management: presentation, treatment response and putative relapse.

Serum APPs were found to be of value in supporting the diagnosis of SRMA and monitoring its treatment. C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A (SAA), alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and haptoglobin (Hp) all exhibited an increase above our laboratory reference range in nine patients at initial presentation. During treatment APPs decreased significantly compared to presentation except Hp which increased (Wilcoxon–Signed–Rank-test: CRP, SAA and AGP P < 0.05). Serum CRP and SAA were also found to be of clinical value in the identification of putative relapse (seven cases), particularly in the light of unperturbed CSF parameters where APP concentrations were elevated. CSF APPs were found to be less reliable markers in the management of this disease. The results indicate that SRMA causes a significant APP response in dogs, which although not disease specific, is of value in supporting the diagnosis of SRMA.

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Conflict of interest statement

Professor P.D. Eckersall is a Director and shareholder in ReactivLab Ltd., a spinout company established by the University of Glasgow to provide diagnostic assays for acute phase proteins in animals. None of the other authors of this paper has a financial or personal relationship with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper.

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by a grant from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow. We thank Mary Waterston at The Acute Phase Protein Research Group for processing the samples and our colleagues in the Neurology Service of the Small Animal Hospital for assisting in the collection of case material.

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