Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of markers of the acute phase of inflammation in cats. A preliminary evaluation

Markers of acute inflammation are gaining broader acceptance in feline veterinary practice but the criteria of their diagnostic accuracy have mostly not been determined. The goal of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of a variety of markers of inflammation that can be rapidly measured in everyday veterinary practice settings. White blood cell, as well as neutrophil and band cell count, degree of toxic neutrophilia, total proteins, albumin, albumin-to-globulin ratio, fibrinogen, and serum amyloid A protein were measured in 35 cats with acute inflammatory diseases and 16 control cats. The sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating curves of these markers were then compared. The markers with the highest sensitivities and specificities, as well as areas-under-the-curve of the receiver operating curves > 0.9, were fibrinogen, serum amyloid A, degree of toxic neutrophilia, and albumin-to-globulin ratio. The correlations between the different markers were, with the exception of fibrinogen and SAA, low. SAA, fibrinogen, albumin-to-globulin ratio are a panel of sensitive inflammatory biochemistry biomarkers easily available for non specialist veterinarians improving the rapidity of feline patient assessment.