1. Serum α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) concentration in non-symptomatic cats with feline coronavirus (FCoV) infection
- Author
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Mara Battilani, Saverio Paltrinieri, Cecilia Metzger, Alessia Giordano, Maria Elena Gelain, Vanessa Pocacqua, Paltrinieri S., Metzger C., Battilani M., Pocacqua V., Gelain M.E., and Giordano A.
- Subjects
Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Feline coronavirus ,040301 veterinary sciences ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Biology ,Antibodies, Viral ,Cat Diseases ,medicine.disease_cause ,Asymptomatic ,Article ,Disease Outbreaks ,0403 veterinary science ,Feces ,03 medical and health sciences ,Predictive Value of Tests ,Prevalence ,medicine ,Animals ,Coronavirus, Feline ,Viral shedding ,Small Animals ,Glycoproteins ,CATS ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,030108 mycology & parasitology ,Virology ,Feline infectious peritonitis ,Virus Shedding ,Italy ,Case-Control Studies ,Immunology ,Cats ,biology.protein ,RNA, Viral ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,Antibody ,Coronavirus Infections ,Viral load ,Blood Chemical Analysis - Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that the concentration of α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) transiently increases in asymptomatic cats infected with feline coronavirus (FCoV). In order to establish whether these fluctuations depend on the FCoV status, the serum concentration of AGP and anti-FCoV antibody titres and/or faecal shedding of FCoVs in clinically healthy cats from catteries with different levels of prevalence of FCoV infection were monitored over time. Serum AGP concentrations fluctuated over time in clinically healthy cats from the cattery with the highest prevalence of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and significantly increased just before an outbreak of FIP. Further studies are required to clarify whether the observed increase of AGP concentration is a consequence of the increased viral burden or a protective response against mutated viral strains. Nevertheless, the results of the present study suggest that AGP might be useful in monitoring FCoV–host interactions in FCoV-endemic catteries.
- Published
- 2007
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