Case Study : fSAA Clinical Application

 

fSAA (Feline Serum Amyloid A) is the protein in blood, used to assess systemic responses caused by the immune system. It is the highly sensitive marker of systemic inflammation in cats but no specificity. When systemic inflammation occurs, fSAA reaction is more rapid than leukocytes (WBCs) ; therefore, fSAA is very suitable for diagnosing and monitoring the inflammation.  In addition, the changes of SAA levels also have similar tendency to the disease progressing, and it can support the veterinarians to assess the prognosis.

▼Table 1.  Diseases in which the mean SAA concentration exceeded the reference range
 

♦ Case 1 Feline: 2 years old, Mixed Diagnosis: (1) Vaginal discharge noted                    (2) Dystocia Treatment: Caesarean section
▼Table 2. The levels of SAA in case 1 Item Preoperative  D1 D7 SAA (μg/mL)  174.5 110 <5

 

♦ Case 2 Feline: 13 years old, Mixed Diagnosis: (1) Left hind limb lameness for 3 weeks                    (2) Left ankle swelling Treatment: Coxofemoral amputation                              * Metastatic carcinoma from lung
▼Table 3. The levels of SAA in case 2 Item Preoperative  D1 D7 D9 WBC (/μL)  16,460 14,120 16,660 11,800 SAA (μg/mL)    6.4 102.6 108.8 5.3

 

♦ Case 3 Feline: 3 years old, Mixed Diagnosis: Sneezing and stomatitis Treatment: Antibiotics medication ▼Table 4. The levels of SAA in case 3 Item D0 D7 WBC (/μL)  13,770 11,940 SAA (μg/mL)    37.9 5.1                                                      *Good prognosis

♦ Conclusion
    1. Feline SAA has similar properties to Canine CRP.
    2. Timing of SAA test is important.
    3. fSAA is less sensitive to chronic inflammation.
    4. Tumor malignancy does not necessarily correlate with fSAA. fSAA levels can not determine the tumor malignancy.
    5. The value of continuous tracking is much greater than a single detection of SAA. Multiple tracking tests of fSAA provide higher clinical
        values than a single test.
 
♦ Reference
This case study was conducted by Associate Professor Cheng-Shu Chung, Director of Small Animal Surgery, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital,
National Pingtung University of Science and Technology. fSSA levels in cases here were measured by AmiShield veterinary chemistry analyzer and
the exclusive fSAA discs.


More SAA-related article:
Acute Phase Proteins in Cats: Diagnostic and Prognostic Role, Future Directions, and Analytical Challenges


Q & A
Q1. My cat looks healthy, do it need to test the fSAA?
A1. Cats have very high tolerance to pain. If there is inflammation in vivo, the symptoms cannot be seen. Therefore, we need to confirm whether
      inflammation occurs in cats through testing fSAA.

Q2. Can fSAA be used to diagnose disease?
A2. No, it is used for inflammation screening and treatment tracking. Various types of inflammation can lead to abnormal fSAA levels, so they are
      the ideal tool for inflammation screening and treatment tracking.

Q3. How to test the fSAA from cats?
A3. For blood test, only 0.06 mL sample is required, and the test result can be available after 15 minutes.

Q4. Does fSAA normal mean my cat is healthy?
A4. It just means that there is no inflammation in vivo. Non-inflammation-related diseases still need to be diagnosed and ruled out by a veterinarian.