Serum cardiac troponin I concentrations in cattle with cardiac and noncardiac disorders.
BACKGROUND
Making a clinical diagnosis of pericarditis in cattle is difficult and additional diagnostic tests are needed to evaluate cattle with suspected pericarditis. Serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations are increased in cattle with pericarditis, but the utility of measuring serum cTnI concentrations in cattle with suspected pericarditis in cattle remains unclear.


OBJECTIVE
To determine if serum cTnI concentrations in cattle can be used to differentiate pericarditis from other cardiac disorders and noncardiac thoracic diseases.


METHODS
Seventy-seven clinically diseased cattle and 19 healthy control cattle.


METHODS
Serum cTnI concentrations were measured using an Immunlite Troponin I immunometric chemiluminescent assay in consecutive cases of postmortem-confirmed pericarditis (n=18), endocarditis (n=15), chronic suppurative pneumonia (n=13), congenital heart disease (n=10), reticulitis (n=3), mediastinal abscess (n=7), thymic lymphoma (n=6), and caudal vena cava thrombosis (n=5). Serum cTnI concentrations were measured in 19 healthy cattle.


RESULTS
Although serum cTnI concentrations were significantly higher in cattle with pericarditis compared with healthy cattle, they were not significantly different from concentrations in cattle with endocarditis, congenital cardiac disease, mediastinal abscess, reticulitis, caudal vena cava thrombosis, or chronic suppurative pneumonia.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum cTnI cannot be used to distinguish cattle with pericarditis from cattle with other primary cardiac diseases. In addition, serum cTnI concentrations cannot distinguish between cattle with primary cardiac diseases and those with other noncardiac, intrathoracic disorders.
Mellanby
R J
RJ
Roslin Institute, Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Division of Veterinary Clinical Studies, University of Edinburgh, Hospital for Small Animals, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK. richard.mellanby@ed.ac.uk
Henry
J P
JP
Cash
R
R
Ricketts
S W
SW
Bexiga
R
R
Truyers
I
I
Mellor
D J
DJ
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000662:veterinary*; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D019210:Troponin I