Acute Phase Proteins as Markers of Diseases in Farm Animals

Acute phase proteins have been studied widely in human medicine, especially as biomarkers of diseases, inflammatory processes and various infections, to diagnose and monitor the success of diseases, as well as to follow-up the treatment in clinical praxis (Hilliquin, 1995; Deans & Wigmore, 2005; Endre & Westhuyzen, 2008). However, the possible influence of inflammatory conditions on the concentrations of acute phase proteins, and the use of these indicators in the monitoring of animal health and detection of diseases in veterinary medicine, especially in farm animal medicine is less well documented. Therefore, an increased focus on the application of acute phase proteins in veterinary clinical practice has recently been developed. Recently studies show their functions, and influences on the organism (Murata et al., 2004; Petersen et al., 2004). The acute phase response is in animal species, by which the organism respond to impaired homeostasis, caused by tissue injury or inflammation, leading to a range of metabolic activities and biochemical processes (Whicher & Westacott, 1992 ; Baumann & Gauldie, 1994). One of the most important metabolic changes during the acute phase response is the strongly plasma-increased or decreased liver production and secretion of the acute phase proteins. These biomarkers are non-specific but highly sensitive exhibiting strong differences in their production between different animal species (Eckersall & Bell, 2010). For this reason, the objective of this article is provide an integrated overview about the diagnostic value of acute phase proteins levels in farm animals along with some clinical aspects of veterinary practices.