SERUM AMYLOID A (SAA) DETERMINATION ASSOCIATED WITH THERMOGRAPHY FOR EVALUATION OF SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION IN HORSES
biomarkers, acute phase proteins, acute inflammation, temperature
Monitoring the inflammatory response is a clinical challenge because the classic signs are not always manifested, requiring complementary tests. The aim of this study was to monitor the response of markers of serum amyloid inflammation A (SAA), fibrinogen (Fb), total leukocytes (LT) and infrared thermography (TI), in horses treated at the Hospital Veterinário de Grandes Animais of the University of Brasília, with signs systemic clinical tests of pain and inflammation on clinical examination, to verify the sensitivity of these markers, if there is a relationship between them, in addition to proving an accessible measurement. For this, blood samples from 15 animals, 10 sick and 5 healthy, were collected three hours after admission (time 0) and 12, 24 and 48 hours later (time 1, 2 and 3, respectively). Adult animals, regardless of sex, from colic syndrome (clinical and surgical), trauma (pelvis fracture, wounds), lymphangitis and otitis were considered. No statistically significant differences were found between groups and over time for the variables LT, Fb and TI. For SAA, while the control group remained stable over time, the group of sick individuals had an increase in concentrations every 12 hours. The measurement of fibrinogen concentrations allows assessing the magnitude of the inflammatory response in a slow response time. Among the tools for assessing acute inflammation, SAA proved to be the most reliable and sensitive early biomarker in serial measurements.