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Published on: May 14, 2012
Feline-specific serum total IgE quantitation in normal, asthmatic and parasitized cats
Cherlene Delgado1, Tekla M Lee-Fowler, Amy E DeClue
1Comparative Internal Medicine Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, 900 E Campus Dr, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
Insights
Feline serum total Immunoglobulin E (IgE) concentrations were higher in parasitized and asthmatic cats than in healthy cats. This study introduces a method for measuring feline IgE, valuable for future allergy and parasitism research.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Immunology
- Allergy Research
- Parasitology
Background:
- Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is crucial for parasite defense and implicated in allergies.
- Serum total IgE levels can aid in diagnosing and predicting various feline health conditions.
- No prior studies have documented normal feline serum total IgE concentrations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine serum total IgE concentrations in healthy, parasitized, and asthmatic cats.
- To test the hypothesis that IgE levels are elevated in diseased cats compared to healthy controls.
- To establish baseline feline IgE levels for future research.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples were collected from healthy (n=10), parasitized (n=10), and asthmatic (n=8) cats.
- Serum total IgE concentrations were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
- Statistical analysis involved t-tests, with significance set at P<0.05.
Main Results:
- Serum total IgE was significantly higher in parasitized cats (328.4±123.8μg/ml) and asthmatic cats (85.5±19.5μg/ml) compared to healthy cats (45.9±19.6μg/ml).
- Despite elevated levels in diseased cats, serum total IgE showed poor discriminatory power between healthy and diseased individuals.
- The developed ELISA assay demonstrated sensitivity in detecting low levels of feline serum total IgE.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully measured feline serum total IgE, establishing reference ranges.
- Elevated IgE levels in parasitized and asthmatic cats suggest a role in these conditions.
- The validated assay offers a valuable tool for future investigations into feline parasitic and allergic diseases.
Abstract:
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) plays an important role in defense against parasitic infections as well as allergy. Knowledge of serum total IgE concentrations may have value in diagnosis and prognostication of various disorders; however, to date, no studies have reported feline serum total IgE concentrations. We hypothesize that serum total IgE concentrations will be greater in spontaneously parasitized and asthmatic cats compared to healthy pet cats. Healthy (n=10), parasitized (10) and asthmatic cats (eight) had measurement of serum total IgE by ELISA. Data were analyzed using a t-test with P<0.05 considered significant. Serum total IgE was higher in parasitized (mean±SEM, 328.4±123.8μg/ml; P<0.028) and asthmatic cats (85.5±19.5μg/ml; P<0.047) compared to healthy cats (45.9±19.6μg/ml). However, serum total IgE had poor discriminatory capability between diseased and healthy cats. In conclusion, this assay can detect small quantities of feline serum total IgE, which may be beneficial in future studies of parasitism or allergic disease.
