Total serum protein reference value as a clinical diagnostic index of equine proliferative enteropathy

Yasushi Ueno; Ryoko Uemura; Hidekazu Niwa; Toru Higuchi; Satoshi Sekiguchi; Yosuke Sasaki; Masuo Sueyoshi

doi:10.1294/jes.30.63

Total serum protein reference value as a clinical diagnostic index of equine proliferative enteropathy

J Equine Sci. 2019 Sep;30(3):63-67. doi: 10.1294/jes.30.63. Epub 2019 Oct 2.

Authors

Yasushi Ueno^{1

2}, Ryoko Uemura², Hidekazu Niwa³, Toru Higuchi⁴, Satoshi Sekiguchi², Yosuke Sasaki⁵, Masuo Sueyoshi²

Affiliations

¹ KM Biologics Co., Ltd., Kumamoto 860-8568, Japan.
² Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan.
³ Microbiology Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Tochigi 329-0412, Japan.
⁴ Mitsuishi Animal Medical Center, NOSAI Minami, Hokkaido 053-0021, Japan.
⁵ Department of Animal and Grassland Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan.

Abstract

Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) caused by Lawsonia intracellularis is characterized by hypoproteinemia. There are currently no reliable reports that provide a reference value for the total serum protein (TP) concentration to clinically diagnose EPE. The objective of this study was to statistically determine the reference value. Feces and sera of 99 foals with EPE-like clinical signs and of 35 healthy foals were obtained. The samples were used for specific-gene detection of L. intracellularis, TP measurement, and specific-antibody detection against L. intracellularis. Based on these results, the optimal reference value for the TP concentration as a clinical diagnostic index of EPE was found to be ≤ 4.8 g/dl. This clinical diagnostic index will provide an effective approach for diagnosing EPE.

Keywords: Lawsonia intracellularis; clinical diagnostic index; equine proliferative enteropathy; total serum protein.