Serum adenosine deaminase activity in bovine liver diseases

A total of 60 cattle were examined for the presence of pathological liver lesions. The liver lesions were classified as glycogen degeneration, liver abscess, sawdust liver and fatty degeneration. The value of serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was investigated as a pilot study for diagnosing liver diseases in cattle. Serum ADA activity was significantly higher in cases with glycogen degeneration (9.8 +/- 3.8 U/l) , liver abscess (10.4 +/- 3.2 U/l), sawdust liver (11.5 +/- 7.3 U/l) and fatty degeneration (20.8 +/- 7.7 U/l) than in the controls. The results indicate that ADA activity increases with the degree of hepatocellular damage. We concluded that serum ADA activity may be of value in bovine liver disease diagnosis.