Usefulness of serum amyloid A for the diagnosis of pyelonephritis in cats
The diagnosis of pyelonephritis in cats is challenging and development of a noninvasive and accurate biomarker is needed. This prospective study aimed (a) to report and compare the clinical, biological, and diagnostic imaging findings in a cohort of cats with suspected or confirmed bacterial pyelonephritis and (b) to evaluate the accuracy of serum amyloid A (SAA) concentration as a marker of bacterial pyelonephritis in cats. The authors hypothesized that SAA is increased in cats with pyelonephritis, but not in cats with other urinary tract diseases.
Group 1 included cats with a diagnosis of pyelonephritis either confirmed by bacterial culture of pelvic urine (Group 1a) or presumed (1b). Group 2 included cats for which pyelonephritis was ruled out (with certainty: Group 2a or judged unlikely: Group 2b). SAA concentration was compared between groups, and accuracy of SAA for the diagnosis of pyelonephritis was calculated using a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
A cohort of 125 cats (149 observations) was considered for the evaluation. Median SAA concentration was significantly higher in Group 1a (86.8 mg/L [73.3; 161.5]; n = 8) than in Group 2a (4 mg/L [1.8; 5.6], n = 19; P < .001) and in Group 2b (5.4 mg/L [3.1; 9.7], n = 113; P < .001). It was also significantly higher in Group 1b (98.8 mg/L [83.1; 147.3]; n = 9) than in Group 2b (P < .001) and Group 2a (P < .001). Optimal diagnostic cut-off for SAA concentration was 51.3 mg/L. yielding a sensitivity of 88% (95% confidence interval: [64%; 99%]) and a specificity of 94% (95% confidence interval: [88%; 97%]).
To conclude, measurement of SAA could be used to rule out pyelonephritis in the case of low suspicion of the disease. Increased SAA concentration is suggestive of pyelonephritis despite a lack of specificity.
“Usefulness of serum amyloid A for the diagnosis of pyelonephritis in cats: A prospective evaluation”. Maxime Kurtz, et al. J Vet Intern Med. 2024 Apr 26. doi: 10.1111/jvim.17082.
Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.17082?af=R
Comments
Related Articles
More news
Copyright © 2025 - All Rights Reserved
ISSN 2768-198X
List
Add
Please enter a comment