title: Serum amyloid A and transferrin in chicken. A preliminary investigation of using acute-phase variables to assess diseases in chickens.
abstract: The concentrations of serum amyloid A protein (SAA) and transferrin in blood samples from broilers in various stages of natural Staphylococcus aureus infection, from healthy counterparts, and from turpentine- or saline-injected pullets were measured using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblotting, and densitometry. SAA was not detected in healthy chickens but was detected in turpentine-injected pullets and in S. aureus-infected broilers. Relative percentages of transferrin in turpentine- and saline-injected pullets were not different. Broilers with a S. aureus infection had a two-fold higher transferrin level than did their unaffected counterparts. There was also a difference between the transferrin levels of healthy broilers and healthy pullets, which indicates that other variables, such as breed or breeding conditions, may influence the transferrin level. This preliminary study showed that SAA is an acute-phase protein and a more reliable variable for diagnosing lesions in chickens than transferrin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. e.gruys@pobox.accu.uu.nl
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chamanza
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Toussaint
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: van Ederen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Veen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hulskamp-Koch
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Fabri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D001053:Apolipoproteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins; D012709:Serum Albumin; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein; D014168:Transferrin