| Author: | Tse, Lily |
| Title: | An evaluation of the indicative value of Acute Phase Proteins in captive seals and sea lions, naturally infected with Burkholderia pseudomallei |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Acute phase proteins Melioidosis Seals (Animals) -- China -- Hong Kong -- Infections Sea lions -- Infections |
| Department: | School of Nursing |
| Pages: | xi, 67 p. : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 31 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Acute Phase Proteins (APP) are the various types of inflammatory proteins which are released into the bloodstream in response to infection, trauma and injury, resulting in a change of APP concentrations. The determination of APP concentrations is then used to indicate the presence of subclinical diseases and the treatment response in farm animals, dogs, cats as well as marine animals. The patterns of APP and its concentrations are species-specific. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the indicative value of various APP concentrations on captive pinnipeds, suffering from a Gram negative bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bps), at the onset of infection and during treatment. The objectives are to observe any significant changes in APP concentrations at the onset of infection and in the APP pattern in response to treatment. It is a retrospective, single-subject quantitative study. During the period of 2000-2009, nine subjects, including one Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), five Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), and three California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) infected with Bps were selected for analysis. The concentrations of various types of APP, including C-reactive proteins (CRP), Haptoglobin (Hpt), Fibrinogen (Fib), Albumin (Alb) and Transferrin (Tf) were measured in the animals' sera. The blood samples collected before infection and during the course of antibiotic treatment were selected for comparison. The concentration difference of each APP at the onset was compared with the baseline concentration. The patterns of APP were observed for 10 weeks. The APP values (Hpt, Fib and Alb) measured in this study were consistent with other published studies. However, results for APP patterns showed high variability of concentration difference among species and their health conditions. It is found that Hpt increased with the greatest concentration difference (122.3-1311.0%) compared with other APPs and distinct patterns during the course of treatment, which had a relatively high indicative value for Bps infection and treatment response obtained in this study. At the end of the study period, Hpt of recovered animals steadily decreased in concentration. The APP concentrations were elevated before the Bps antibodies reached the highest titre. Follow-up studies were necessary to verify the amount of some specific APP, for example the concentrations of CRP and Tf measured in pinnipeds and to find out cause of difference in Hpt pattern between California sea lions and Harbour seals. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b23526713.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 4.06 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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