玉米赤霉烯酮单克隆抗体的制备及间接竞争ELISA检测方法的初步建立

为了研究玉米赤霉烯酮的间接竞争ELISA检测方法,试验采用牛血清白蛋白与玉米赤霉烯酮的耦联物(ZEN-BSA)做包被抗原,标准玉米赤霉烯酮(ZEN)做竞争抗原,以制备的可稳定分泌抗ZEN的单克隆抗体为基础,初步建立了ZEN间接竞争ELISA检测方法。结果表明:间接竞争ELISA检测方法线性范围为0.363 2～78.985 2μg/L,最低检测限为0.231 9μg/L;曲线回归方程为y=68.711-25.666x,其中R2=0.987 1,批内平均变异系数为3.10%,批间平均变异系数为6.26%,与相似毒素的交叉反应率均小于0.01%。说明建立的检测方法可以用于ZEN的检测。     

Development and analytic validation of an immunoassay for the quantification of canine S100A12 in serum and fecal samples and its biological variability in serum from healthy dogs

S100A12 (calgranulin C) is a Ca(2+)-binding protein that has been proposed to play a central role in both innate and acquired immune responses. In humans, S100A12 has been reported to be increased in serum and/or plasma in patients with various inflammatory disorders, and this protein has been suggested to be a sensitive and specific marker for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An immunoassay for S100A12 is currently available for use in humans, but antibodies against the human protein do not cross-react with canine S100A12 (cS100A12). Both sensitive and specific markers for canine patients with systemic or localized inflammatory diseases are currently lacking, thus the aim of this study was to develop and analytically validate a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the quantification of cS100A12 in serum and fecal specimens and to determine the biological variation of cS100A12 in serum from healthy dogs. A competitive liquid-phase RIA was developed and analytically validated by determining assay working range, dilutional parallelism, spiking recovery, and intra- and inter-assay variability. Reference intervals for serum and fecal concentrations of cS100A12 were established from 124 and 65 healthy dogs, respectively, and components of variation for serum cS100A12 were determined from 11 dogs over 2.6 months. The working range of the assay was 0.6-432.7 μg/L. No cross-reactivity was observed with the cS100A8/A9 protein complex, the closest structural analogues available. Observed-to-expected ratios (O/E) for the serial dilution of serum and fecal extracts ranged from 97.2 to 146.8% and from 75.3 to 129.8%, respectively. O/E for spiking recovery for serum and fecal extracts ranged from 87.8 to 130.4% and from 84.8 to 143.8%, respectively. Coefficients of variation (CV) for intra- and inter-assay variability for sera were ≤ 8.1% and ≤ 7.8%, respectively, and were ≤ 7.8% and ≤ 8.7%, respectively, for fecal extracts. Reference intervals for serum and fecal cS100A12 were 33.2-225.1 μg/L and <24-745 ng/g, respectively. For biological variability testing, analytical, intra-individual, inter-individual, and total CV were 5.7, 29.2, 31.2, and 66.0%, respectively, yielding an index of individuality of 0.95 and a minimum critical difference (p<0.05) for sequential values of 84.9%. The RIA for cS100A12 measurement described here is analytically sensitive and specific, linear, accurate, precise, and reproducible, and will facilitate further research into the clinical utility of quantifying serum and fecal cS100A12 in canine patients with inflammatory diseases. Moderate changes in serum cS100A12 concentrations may be clinically relevant; however, the use of a population-based reference interval may require caution.     

Serum concentrations of pepsinogen A in healthy dogs after food deprivation and after feeding

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate an ELISA for measurement of serum canine pepsinogen A (cPG A) as a diagnostic marker of gastric disorders in dogs and to measure serum cPG A in healthy dogs after food deprivation and after feeding. SAMPLE POPULATION: Sera from 72 healthy dogs. PROCEDURE: A sandwich ELISA was developed and validated. The reference range for serum concentrations of cPG A was determined in 64 healthy dogs. Postprandial changes in serum concentrations of cPG A were evaluated in 8 healthy dogs. RESULTS: Assay sensitivity was 18 microg/L, and the maximum detectable concentration was 1,080 microg/L. The observed-to-expected ratio (O:E) for 3 serial dilutions of 3 serum samples ranged from 69.3 to 104.1%. The O:E for 3 serum samples spiked with 8 concentrations of cPG A ranged from 58.8 to 120.4%. Coefficients of variation for intra- and interassay variability of 3 serum samples ranged from 7.6 to 11.9% and from 10.1 to 13.1%, respectively. Mean +/- SD serum concentration of cPG A in healthy dogs was 63.8 +/- 31.0 microg/L and the reference range was 18 to 129 microg/L. Significant increases in serum concentrations of cPG A were observed between 1 and 7 hours after feeding. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The ELISA for measuring cPG A was sufficiently sensitive, linear, accurate, precise, and reproducible for clinical use. Serum concentrations of cPG A increase substantially after feeding, which should be taken into account when conducting clinical studies.     

Development and analytic validation of a radioimmunoassay for the quantification of canine calprotectin in serum and feces from dogs

OBJECTIVE: To develop and analytically validate a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the quantification of canine calprotectin (cCP) in serum and fecal extracts of dogs. Sample Population-Serum samples (n = 50) and fecal samples (30) were obtained from healthy dogs of various breeds and ages. PROCEDURES: A competitive, liquid-phase, double-antibody RIA was developed and analytically validated by assessing analytic sensitivity, working range, linearity, accuracy, precision, and reproducibility. Reference intervals for serum and fecal cCP concentrations were determined. RESULTS: Sensitivity and upper limit of the working range were 29 and 12,774 microg/L for serum and 2.9 and 1,277.4 microg/g for fecal extracts, respectively. Observed-to-expected ratios for serial dilutions of 6 serum samples and 6 fecal extracts ranged from 95.3% to 138.2% and from 80.9% to 118.1%, respectively. Observed-to-expected ratios for spiking recovery for 6 serum samples and 6 fecal extracts ranged from 84.6% to 121.5% and from 80.3% to 132.1%, respectively. Coefficients of variation for intra-assay and interassay variability were < 3.9% and < 8.7% for 6 serum samples and < 8.5% and < 12.6% for 6 fecal extracts, respectively. Reference intervals were 92 to 1,121 microg of cCP/L for serum and < 2.9 to 137.5 microg of cCP/g for fecal extracts. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The RIA described here was analytically sensitive, linear, accurate, precise, and reproducible for the quantification of cCP in serum and fecal extracts. This assay should facilitate research into the clinical use of serum and fecal cCP measurements in dogs with inflammatory bowel disease.     

SMD残留检测的ELISA方法的建立和初步应用

用戊二醛法将SMD与载体蛋白BSA偶联 ,制备合成抗原SMD BSA作免疫原 ,同法合成包被抗原SMD OVA ,免疫健康家兔获得抗血清。分别用双向琼脂扩散试验和ELISA试验对抗血清进行定性定量测定 ,结果表明所获抗血清特异性针对SMD。用所制备的抗血清建立间接竞争ELISA方法。优化了ELISA的工作条件 ,方阵测定确定了包被抗原最佳浓度 (50 μg/mL) ,抗血清最佳稀释度 (1∶1 0 0 ) ,酶标抗体的最适工作稀释度 (1∶50 0 ) ,并建立了ELISA标准工作曲线。工作曲线表明在 1 0～ 2 0 0 0 μg/L浓度范围内呈良好的线性关系。该法检测底限为 63μg/L,低于国际规定残留限量 (1 0 0 μg/kg)和国内规定残留限量 (30 0 μg/kg)的要求。本法同时测定了回收率以及实际样品血清中的SMD的残留含量     

Development and analytic validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the measurement of canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity in serum

Recently, a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for measurement of canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) in serum was developed and validated. However, RIAs require frequent use of radioactive materials. Therefore, the goal of this project was to develop and validate an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for cPLI. After purifying cPL, we developed and purified antiserum against cPL in rabbits. The purified antibody was bound to microtitre plates and used to capture antigen. A portion of the purified antibody was biotinylated and used to identify the captured antigen. Streptavidin labelled with horseradish peroxidase and a horseradish peroxidase substrate were used for detection. The assay was validated by determination of sensitivity, working range, linearity, accuracy, precision, and reproducibility. The reference interval for serum cPLI was determined by the central 95th percentile in 74 clinically healthy dogs: 2.2 to 102.1 μg/L. The sensitivity and the upper limit of the working range were 0.1 and 999.2 μg/L, respectively. The ratios of observed to expected values for dilutional parallelism for 6 serum samples ranged from 0.0 to 148.8%; the ratios for spiking recovery for 4 serum samples ranged from 90.4 to 112.6%, assuming 55% recovery of the cPL. Coefficients of variation for intra- and interassay variability for 6 different serum samples were 2.4, 3.4, 4.1, 5.8, 7.4, and 10.0% and 5.9, 7.7, 11.6, 13.9, 23.5, and 46.2%, respectively. We conclude that the ELISA described here is sufficiently sensitive, linear, accurate, precise, and reproducible for clinical application. Evaluation of its clinical usefulness for the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic disorders in dogs is under way.     

猪瘟病毒E2蛋白主要抗原区的原核表达及其间接ELISA检测方法的建立与应用

采用RT-PCR方法扩增猪瘟病毒(CSFV)E2蛋白主要抗原区基因,克隆入原核表达载体pET32a(+),转化大肠埃希菌BL21构建重组表达菌,经SDS-PAGE和Western blot鉴定目的蛋白得到成功表达。利用纯化的重组蛋白作为包被抗原,通过反应条件优化,建立了间接ELISA抗体检测方法。ELISA抗原最适包被浓度为0.5μg/mL(0.05μg/孔),最佳封闭液为5g/L BSA,待检血清最适稀释度为1∶100,作用时间为1h,酶标抗体最适稀释度为1∶2 000,最适作用时间为45min,室温显色10min。用该方法检测牛病毒性腹泻病毒(BVDV)、猪圆环病毒2型(PCV-2)、猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)、伪狂犬病病毒(PRV)阳性血清结果均为阴性;批内和批间重复试验变异系数分别<5%和<8%,表明本方法具有较好的特异性和重复性。应用△E2-ELISA对350份血清样品进行检测,阳性率为77.71%,高于IDEXX试剂盒检测阳性率(67.14%),与IDEXX试剂盒阳性符合率91.06%,阴性符合率50%,总符合率77.43%。表明本试验建立的间接ELISA方法适于临床CSFV血清抗体的检测。     

牛奶中替米考星间接竞争酶联免疫吸附检测法的建立

本研究通过棋盘法优化替米考星抗体、包被原浓度,并考察了最佳包被条件,最佳反应温度、时间和酶标二抗最佳反应时间等,建立了替米考星残留的间接竞争酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)并应用到牛奶样本的检测。建立的间接竞争ELISA方法半数抑制浓度(IC₅₀)为2.1 ng/mL,牛奶中替米考星的最低检测限(LOD)为2 μg/L。在5、10和20 μg/L添加浓度下,回收率为79.2%~90.1%,变异系数不高于9.0%。与其他常见的大环内酯类药物无交叉反应。本研究建立的替米考星间接竞争ELISA方法灵敏度达到了残留限量标准要求,为开发可用于牛奶中替米考星的快速检测试剂盒奠定基础。     

Establishment of Indirect Competitive Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay for Tilmicosin in Milk

An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting tilmicosin residue in milk was developed and applied to milk samples after the determination of dilution of coating antigen and antibody to timicosin by using checkerboard method,and the optimization of coating condition,reaction time and temperature,and reaction time of enzyme-labled secondary antibody.The results showed that the 50% inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) of the indirect competitive ELISA was 2.1 ng/mL and the limit of detection (LOD) of tilmicosin in milk was 2 μg/L.The recoveries of tilmicosin added in milk at 5,10 and 20 μg/L ranged from 79.2% to 90.1% with the coefficients of variation (CV) not higher than 9.0%.The indirect competitive ELISA would not react with other common macrolide drugs.The sensitivity of indirect competitive ELISA developed in the study complied to the maximum residue limit of tilmicosin set by China,and laid the foundation for the test kit of the rapid detection of tilmicosin in milk.     

牛γ-干扰素ELISA检测方法的建立与初步应用

以纯化的rHis-BoIFN-γ制备兔多抗血清,辛酸—硫酸铵两步法对体内诱生的抗rBoIFN-γ单抗腹水进行纯化,用美洲商陆素（Pokeweed mitogen,PWM）刺激奶牛全血产生的分泌性天然BoIFN-γ筛选出与之反应最佳的单抗5E11。将单抗5E11以40μg/mL浓度包被,与1∶3 000倍稀释的兔抗rHis-BoIFN-γ多抗血清（13.8μg/mL）配对,以1∶6 000稀释的商品化酶标羊抗兔IgG为指示抗体,建立了BoIFN-γ抗原捕获ELISA检测方法,该方法可以检出2.56 U/100μL（30.5 pg/100μL）的rHis-BoIFN-γ、8U/100μL的rBac-BoIFN-γ和1U/100μL的分泌性天然BoIFN-γ。以商品化试剂盒作为平行对照,将获得的奶牛临床检测血浆样品使用BoIFN-γ抗原捕获ELISA法进行检测,结果显示两种方法检测符合率达到83.9%。本研究建立的BoIFN-γ抗原捕获ELISA检测方法可有效检测分泌性IFN-γ,为进一步开发BoIFN-γELISA检测试剂盒奠定了基础。     

Pregnancy Diagnosis in Miniature Pig by Direct ELISA of Oestrone Derivatives in Faeces

The objectives of the present study were to measure oestrone derivatives [oestrone, oestrone sulphate (E1S) and oestrone glucuronide] in sow faeces by direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and to explore the changes of oestrone derivative profile in faeces of miniature pig for demonstrating the possibility of pregnancy diagnosis. Faecal samples (1.5 g) were put into 6 ml of buffer, shaken and centrifuged. Then supernatant was added to the wells of multi-plate without extraction and incubated with anti-oestrone antibody and horseradish peroxidase-labelled oestrone. Standard solution was prepared at various concentrations of E1S. Sensitivity was estimated as 0.035 ng/ml (0.14 ng/g). Intra- and inter-assay coefficient variations were 3.5-7.7% and 10.9-15.3%, respectively. When 1-5 ng/ml E1S were added to a faecal solution, recovery rates ranged between 80.0 and 103.3%. There is a temporal increase in the E1S equivalent concentration of miniature pig faeces from day 25 to 31 after mating. From day 35 to 70, the E1S equivalent concentrations remained low. Thereafter its concentrations increased again towards farrowing. On day 27 and 29 after mating pregnancy diagnosis by the faecal E1S equivalent concentrations agreed with the results of farrowing (seven of seven animals). These results suggest that the present direct ELISA is practical and suitable as a routine assay for measuring the faecal concentration of oestrone derivatives and that this assay might be usable for pregnancy diagnosis in sows at day 27-29.     

Development and analytical validation of an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for the measurement of canine gastric lipase immunoreactivity in serum

The objective of this study was to develop and analytically validate an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measurement of canine gastric lipase immunoreactivity (cGLI). A sandwich ELISA was developed using canine gastric lipase (cGL) purified from canine stomachs and polyclonal antibodies directed against cGL, raised in rabbits and purified by affinity chromatography. The assay was validated by determination of sensitivity, working range, linearity, accuracy, precision, reproducibility, and the upper limit of the control range by determining the 97.5th percentile of serum cGLI concentration in 74 healthy canines. Sensitivity and working range in serum were 200 ng/L and 200 to 39 160 ng/L, respectively. Observed to expected ratios for dilutional parallelism for 3 serum samples and 3 dilutions ranged from 86.1% to 244.2% (mean +/- standard deviation [s]; 125.4% +/- 48.2%). Observed to expected ratios for spiking recoveries for 3 serum samples and 6 spiking concentrations ranged from 66.4% to 152.5% (mean +/- s; 104.5% +/- 22.9%). Intra-assay and interassay variabilities for 3 different serum samples were 25.5%, 9.4%, and 13.4% and 26.0%, 17.2%, and 14.4%, respectively. The upper limit of the control range for serum cGLI was 662 ng/L. We concluded that the ELISA for cGLI described here is highly sensitive and shows a wide working range. However, the validation characteristics for this assay are suboptimal and below values of approximately 2.000 ng/L the assay is more semiquantitative in nature. Despite its limitations, whether this assay is useful for the diagnosis of canine gastric disorders remains to be determined.     

PRRSV抗体竞争ELISA检测方法的建立与标准化研究

以猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)核衣壳蛋白(N蛋白)基因的原核表达产物重组N蛋白为包被抗原,利用兔抗重组N蛋白血清和PRRS猪血清竞争该抗原,建立间接竞争ELISA方法检测PRRS抗体。经研究确定重组N蛋白的包被浓度为0·3μg/mL,检测血清不用稀释,兔抗重组N蛋白血清的工作浓度为1∶3000,酶标抗体的工作浓度为1∶10000,包被液为0·05mol/L、pH9·6的碳酸盐缓冲液。该方法特异性强,稳定性和重复性好,整个检测过程可在3h内完成。以IDEXX试剂盒的检测结果为参照标准,该方法的敏感性为79·76%,特异性为90·9%,符合率为83·59%。将该方法按试剂盒要求标准化,4℃放置5个月,检测效果不变。     

猪乙型脑炎病毒囊膜E蛋白间接ELISA诊断方法的建立与初步应用

本研究利用纯化的原核表达乙型脑炎囊膜E蛋白作为包被抗原,建立了乙型脑炎间接ELISA诊断方法。对检测的各种条件进行了优化,优化反应条件后确定的抗原最适包被浓度为2μg/mL,抗原最佳包被条件为37℃包被2 h,血清的最适稀释度为1∶160,酶标抗体最适稀释度为1∶5000,最佳封闭条件为1%BSA,阴阳性临界值判定标准为D492 nm=0.254。该方法不与猪瘟、猪繁殖与呼吸综合征、猪圆环病毒2型、猪伪狂犬病毒阳性血清反应,其D492 nm0.254,说明该方法具有良好的特异性。采用该方法对150份疑似乙型脑炎血清样品进行检测,结果显示,与某猪乙型脑炎试剂盒相比符合率为90.77%,表明建立的间接ELISA方法具有较高的敏感性和特异性,因此,本研究成功建立了能特异性检测抗乙型脑炎血清抗体的ELISA检测方法。     

高效液相色谱荧光检测法检测鸡肉中甲砜霉素残留

研究建立了用高效液相色谱荧光法检测鸡肉中甲砜霉素残留的方法。鸡肉经丙酮、二氯甲烷提取,饱和正己烷脱脂,氮吹仪吹干浓缩后,以乙腈―磷酸二氢钠溶液（0.01 mol/L,含0.005 mol/L十二烷基硫酸钠和0.1%三乙胺)（32∶68,V/V）为流动相,流速为1.0 mL/min,荧光检测激发波长为225 nm,发射波长为290 nm。甲砜霉素在0.01～1.75 mg/L浓度范围内,本方法线性关系良好,相关系数为0.9991。当甲砜霉素添加水平为5～500 μg/kg时,该方法平均回收率为79.49%～89.71%,相对标准偏差为4.96%～9.61%;日内相对标准偏差为5.68%～7.47%;日间相对标准偏差为8.89%～11.32%。甲砜霉素检测限为1.5 μg/kg（S/N＝3）,定量限5 μg/kg（S/N＝10）。所建立的方法简便、快速、灵敏度高,适用于鸡肉中甲砜霉素残留的高灵敏度检测。     

饲料中沙丁胺醇酶联免疫前处理方法的探究

为探讨酶联免疫法(ELISA)检测饲料中沙丁胺醇(salbutamol,SAL)的前处理方法,试验对提取液的pH、离子强度、有机溶剂浓度及样品稀释倍数等条件进行了考察,选取最适宜的提取液条件对2种不同类型的饲料样本进行提取,用ELISA测定样品中沙丁胺醇的残留量。结果表明,沙丁胺醇标准曲线的IC₅₀值为0.606 ng/mL,线性范围为0.221～1.658 ng/mL,R²=0.9998,提取液的pH为7.5,PBS缓冲液最优浓度为0.06 mol/L,稀释倍数为10倍,2种不同类型的饲料样本的检测限(LOD)为5.0 ng/mL。当沙丁胺醇的添加浓度为5、10 μg/kg时,该方法的添加回收率为77%～110%,变异系数<8%。     

Effects of heavy metals and pesticides on buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) spermatozoa functions in vitro

Industrial toxic metals, pollutants and bio-accumulative pesticides interfere with the male reproductive functions in farm animals. Frozen-thawed semen samples were incubated with heavy metals (cadmium and lead) and pesticides (chlorpyrifos and endosulfan) of different concentrations (0, 0.005, 0.05, 0.02, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 μg/ml) for 1 h, and various spermatozoa functional parameters and in vitro fertilization rates were assessed. Any significant effect was assessed by comparing the 1 h data between the control and treatment groups. Progressive forward motility was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in spermatozoa exposed to lower concentrations (0.05-0.5 μg/ml) of toxic substances. The straight-line velocity (μm/s) and the average path velocity (μm/s) were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in spermatozoa exposed to 1.0 and 0.5 μg/ml of cadmium (11.6 ± 1.9 and 16.3 ± 1.9) and chlorpyrifos (10.4 ± 1.5 and 17.1 ± 1.3), respectively, when compared to control (20.4 ± 1.4 and 28.1 ± 1.7). The acrosomal integrity was also significantly (p < 0.05) reduced at 0.05 μg/ml of chlorpyrifos (33.3 ± 1.9), 1.0 μg/ml of cadmium (36.8 ± 3.7), 1.0 μg/ml of lead (39.4 ± 2.8) and 0.5 μg/ml of endosulfan (38.3 ± 3.2), respectively. The spermatozoa chromatin decondensation was significantly (p < 0.05) affected at higher concentrations (>0.5 μg/ml) of these chemicals. The mitochondrial membrane potential (%) was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced at 0.05 μg/ml of cadmium (3.2 ± 0.2) and chlorpyrifos (4.3 ± 0.4), 0.1 μg/ml of lead (3.8 ± 0.3) and 0.5 μg/ml of endosulfan (3.2 ± 0.3) when compared to control (6.7 ± 1.0). The in vitro fertilization capabilities (cleavage percentage) of spermatozoa were significantly reduced at 1.0 μg/ml of cadmium (28.3 ± 2.4) and 2.0 μg/ml of lead (31.1 ± 2.7), chlorpyrifos (29.4 ± 2.2) and endosulfan (32.6 ± 2.5) when compared to control (59.4 ± 4.4). This study suggested that the mitochondrial membrane potential was primarily affected even with lowest doses of toxic chemicals. Cadmium when compared to lead and chlorpyrifos when compared to endosulfan were found to be more toxic to the spermatozoa.     

猪脑心肌炎病毒抗体间接ELISA检测方法的建立及应用

以猪脑心肌炎病毒(Encephalomyocarditis virus,EMCV)VP1重组蛋白为包被抗原,建立了检测EMCV血清抗体的间接酶联免疫吸附试验(enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,ELISA).经优化,获得间接ELISA的最佳反应条件为抗原包被浓度0.625 μg/mL,待...     

Screening for Echinococcus granulosus in dogs: Comparison between arecoline purgation, coproELISA and coproPCR with necropsy in pre-patent infections

Echinococcus granulosus is an important zoonotic infection of dogs. The purpose of the present study assessed the performance of two laboratory diagnostic methods with arecoline purgation and necropsy in infected dogs. In total 65 dogs were successfully experimentally infected with protoscoleces of E. granulosus from ovine infection. At 14-34 days post-infection groups of dogs were purged with arecoline hydrobromide and then necropsied. Faecal samples were tested at weekly intervals by coproantigen ELISA and coproPCR. The necropsy infection rate with E. granulosus was 89.2 per cent. Only 43 per cent of dogs were successfully purged after one arecoline dose; this percentage increased to 76.9% for two doses of arecoline purgation. E. granulosus coproantigen was detected by coproELISA in 82.8% of faeces. The positive and negative predictive values for coproantigen ELISA were 96 and 44.4% respectively. E. granulosus DNA was detected in pre-patent faecal samples by coproPCR in 25.9% of dogs. These results indicate that coproELISA is more sensitive than arecoline purgation for the detection of pre-patent E. granulosus infection in dogs. CoproPCR detected E. granulosus DNA in dog faeces by 21 days post-infection before egg production.     

Serum thyroxine concentrations in clinically healthy pet guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Background: Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are often presented as patients in veterinary practice. Nevertheless, only limited information is available about endocrine diseases or thyroxine reference values for the species. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine serum thyroxine concentrations in a well‐defined population of clinically healthy pet guinea pigs. Methods: Between October 2007 and July 2008, serum samples were collected from 40 clinically healthy guinea pigs of different sexes, ages, and breeds that were presented to our clinic for a general health check or for castration. Pregnant females were excluded from the study. Thyroxine concentration was measured using a chemiluminescence test (Immulite 2000 Canine Total T4). Results: Thyroxine concentrations ranged from 14.2 to 66.9 nmol/L (1.1–5.2 μg/dL) with a median value of 27.0 nmol/L (2.1 μg/dL). Females (n=16) had significantly (P=.039; Mann–Whitney U‐test) lower thyroxine values than castrated males (n=8), whereas no differences were found between females and intact males (n=16) or between intact and castrated males. No significant correlation was found between thyroxine concentration and age. Conclusion: This is the first report of serum thyroxine reference values for a well‐defined population of healthy pet guinea pigs as measured by a chemiluminescence assay. The results were higher than those previously reported for this species and emphasize the importance of using appropriate reference intervals for the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism.