E13 - Serum Amyloid A in Healthy, Septic, and Diarrheic Foals and Association with Length of Hospitalization

Abstract:

Background: Serum amyloid A (SAA) can be a marker of health in neonatal foals, but investigation with enterocolitis has not been performed.
Hypothesis/

Objectives: Measure and describe SAA in healthy, septic, and diarrheic foals. We hypothesized that 1)SAA will be higher on admission in diarrheic than in septic foals and 2)higher SAA concentration on admission will be associated with length of hospitalization (LOH).
Animals: 35 foals < 1 month of age. Foals were categorized into 3 groups: healthy control (n=14), diarrheic (n=17), and septic (n=4). The healthy foals were from a single university-associated farm, and both diarrheic and septic foals were hospitalized.

Methods: Prospective observational cohort study. In healthy foals, SAA was measured daily on days 1-3. For both diarrheic and septic foals, SAA was measured on admission and then daily, until SAA was < 100 µg/ml or discharge/humane euthanasia. SAA was compared between groups, and the association between SAA and LOH was determined.

Results: On admission, SAA (median in µg/mL; IQR) was higher in both diarrheic (919; 770-1104) and septic (1122.5; 814.2–1393.2) compared to healthy foals (2; 0-15) (p = 0.0000128 and 0.00187, respectively). No difference was detected between diarrheic and septic foals (p = 0.6958). Foals with higher SAA on admission were hospitalized (median days; IQR) longer (8; 6-10.5) than foals with lower SAA (6; 5-7) (p = 0.00524).
Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Admission SAA in both diarrheic and septic foals can provide information regarding LOH to guide decision making since hospitalization requires a significant investment.