VPB 321: Animal Biotechnology (2+1)

APPLICATIONS OF ACUTE PHASE PROTEINS

• Some APPs such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) in humans and haptoglobulin in ruminants, are considered "major" APPs and have been used to detect and monitor infection, inflammatory disease, and cancer.
• Acute phase proteins are also being evaluated for their utility in antemortem and postmortem meat and poultry inspection as part of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program.
• The concentration of alpha-acid glycoprotein has been measured in dogs with malignant neoplasia. Continued high levels of this acute phase protein for treatment for conditions where the protein level is high initially suggests that treatment is not working or not appropriate.
• Levels above 1000 ug/ml of serum indicate a poor prognosis especially if subsequent measurements show increasing levels.