Serum Intestinal Fatty Acid-Binding Protein and Calprotectin Concentrations to Assess Clinical Severity and Prognosis of Canine Parvovirus Enteritis [1]

This study was conducted to assess the usefulness of serum intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (IFABP) and calprotectin (CALP) concentrations in comparison with other biomarkers [total leucocyte counts (TLC), C- reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT)] in predicting the clinical severity and prognosis of CPV enteritis. Ten healthy dogs (CON group) and 40 dogs with natural CPV enteritis (INF group) were used. The INF group was also divided into survivor and non-survivor. Blood samples were collected twice in the INF group and once in the CON group. The clinical health score (CHS) was calculated for each patient by scoring certain clinical findings. Serum CRP and IFABP, and plasma PCT concentrations of the INF group at hospital admission (0 h) were significantly higher than in the CON group. Compared to the survivor subgroup, mean serum PCT and IFABP concentrations in the non-survivor subgroup were significantly higher at both 0 h and after initiation of treatment (24 h), while the mean TLC was significantly lower at 24 h. The correlation between CHS and serum IFABP (r=0.501; P=0.000) was stronger than other biomarkers evaluated. Based on the sensitivity and specificity from the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis, TLC (24 h) and serum IFABP (0 h) serve as the most valuable biomarkers among the parameters in this study to predict the prognosis of CPV enteritis.