A recent publication in Journal of Wildlife Diseases described reference intervals for the acute phase proteins Serum-Amyloid A (SAA) and Haptoglobin (Hp) in free-ranging caribou (full article linked below). Acute phase proteins are used widely in domestic animals as an indicator of inflammation (one marker of current health status).
This study reported that SAA levels measured in a declining herd were found to be significantly elevated from the clinically normal reference herd. Additionally, SAA and Hp levels in animals with Brucella suis biovar 4 titers ≥1:80 were significantly elevated from the reference group. The results of the study indicate that SAA and Hp holds promise in monitoring the
overall herd health of caribou in Alaska.
The study utilized a commercial laboratory (University of Miami Acute Phase Protein Lab) for their analyses, but there is currently a portable field analyzer for SAA used in domestic horses (Zoetis Stablelab EQ-1 Handheld Reader (https://www.zoetisus.com/products/horses/stablelab/).
It would be very interesting to see additional future studies testing the applicability of such portable SAA analyzers to wildlife health. The potential use of field analyzers in wildlife work would have several advantages such as eliminating challenging sample storage/shipment logistics and lower cost for sample analysis.
