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Fecal α 1 ‐Proteinase Inhibitor Concentration in Dogs with Chronic Gastrointestinal Disease
Author(s) -
Murphy K. F.,
German A. J.,
Ruaux C. G.,
Steiner J. M.,
Williams D. A.,
Hall E. J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
veterinary clinical pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1939-165X
pISSN - 0275-6382
DOI - 10.1111/j.1939-165x.2003.tb00316.x
Subject(s) - feces , gastroenterology , enteropathy , histology , protein losing enteropathy , medicine , albumin , lymphangiectasia , alpha (finance) , gastrointestinal tract , gastrointestinal disease , pathology , biology , disease , lymphatic system , surgery , paleontology , construct validity , patient satisfaction
Background: Fecal α 1 ‐proteinase inhibitor (α 1 ‐PI) clearance is a reliable, noninvasive marker for protein‐losing enteropathy in human beings. An assay for use in dogs has been developed and validated. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate fecal α 1 ‐PI concentration in dogs with chronic gastrointestinal disease, compared with healthy dogs, and to assess its correlation with serum albumin concentration. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 2 groups of dogs. Group 1 consisted of 21 clinically healthy client‐owned dogs without signs of gastrointestinal disease. Group 2 consisted of 16 dogs referred for investigation of suspected gastrointestinal disease. On the basis of gastric and duodenal biopsies, group 2 was further subdivided into dogs with normal histology (n = 9) and those with histologic abnormalities (n = 7: inflammatory bowel disease, n = 3; lymphangiectasia, n = 4). An ELISA was used to measure α 1 ‐PI concentrations in fecal extracts. Results: Fecal α 1 ‐PI concentrations, expressed as μg/g of feces, were not significantly different between groups 1 and 2 as a whole. However, fecal α 1 ‐PI concentrations (median, minimum‐maximum) were significantly higher in dogs with gastrointestinal diseases associated with histologic abnormalities (60.6 μg/g, 7.4–201.7 μg/g) compared with dogs with normal histology (3.8 μg/g, 0.7–74.0 μg/g) and control dogs (9.9 μg/g, 0.0–32.1 μg/g). There was no significant correlation between fecal α 1 ‐PI and serum albumin concentrations in dogs with gastrointestinal disease. Conclusions: Increased fecal α 1 ‐PI concentration may signal the need to obtain gastrointestinal biopsies for a final diagnosis. Fecal α 1 ‐PI concentration may be a useful test for early detection of protein‐losing enteropathy before decreases in serum albumin concentration can be detected.