Arheart, Kristopher L.

1 publication

Cray, Carolyn; Rodriguez, Maya; Dickey, Meranda; Brewer, Leah Brinson; Arheart, Kristopher L. (detail)
2013Assessment of serum amyloid A levels in the rehabilitation setting in the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris).
Jour. Zoo & Wildlife Medicine 44(4): 911-917. 3 tabs. 2 figs. DOI: 10.1638/2012-0270R.1. Dec. 2013.
—ABSTRACT: The acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) has been previously shown to have value as a biomarker of inflammation and infection in many species, including manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris). In the current study, results from an automated assay for SAA were used in a rehabilitation setting. Reference intervals were established from clinically normal manatees using the robust method: 0-46 mg/L. More than 30fold higher mean SAA levels were observed in manatees suffering from cold stress and boat-related trauma. Poor correlations were observed between SAA and total white blood count, percentage of neutrophils, albumin, and albumin/globulin ratio. A moderate correlation was observed between SAA and the presence of nucleated red blood cells. The sensitivity of SAA testing was 93% and the specificity was 98%, representing the highest combined values of all the analytes. The results indicate that the automated method for SAA quantitation can provide important clinical data for manatees in a rehabilitation setting.