Evaluation of a commercially available human serum amyloid A (SAA) turbidometric immunoassay for determination of equine SAA concentrations

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether equine serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations could be measured reliably with a turbidometric immunoassay (TIA) developed for use with human serum. Intra- and inter-assay imprecision were evaluated by multiple measurements on equine serum pools. Assay inaccuracy was determined by linearity under dilution. The assay was subsequently used for measuring SAA concentrations in clinically healthy horses, horses with inflammatory diseases, horses with non-inflammatory diseases, and in horses before and after castration. In pools with low, intermediate and high SAA concentrations, the intra-assay imprecisions were 24.4%, 1.6% and 2.1%, and the inter-assay imprecisions were 33.2%, 4.6% and 6.5%. Slight signs of inaccuracy were observed, but these inaccuracies were negligible when considering the large dynamic range of the SAA response. The assay was able to detect the expected difference in SAA levels in different groups of horses. It was also able to demonstrate the expected dynamic changes in SAA after castration. In conclusion, equine SAA concentrations can be measured reliably using the TIA designed for human SAA.