Background
The diseases most frequent associated with SIRS in adult horses are those involving the gastrointestinal tract. An early diagnosis should be the goal in the management of horses with SIRS.
Methods
Prospective in vivo multicentric study. Horses were classified as SIRS if at least 2 of the following criteria were met: abnormal leukocyte count or distribution, hyperthermia or hypothermia, tachycardia, tachypnea. Healthy horses showed no clinical or laboratory signs of SIRS. Plasma PCT concentrations were measured with a commercial ELISA assay for equine species.
Objective
The objective of this study was to evaluate the plasma procalcitonin (PCT) concentration in healthy and SIRS horses to assess differences between the two groups. Animals: Seventy-eight horses (30 healthy and 48 SIRS).
Results
PCT concentrations in healthy and SIRS horses were 18.28 ± 20.32 and 197.0 ± 117.0 pg/mL, respectively. T-test showed statistical differences between healthy versus SIRS group and between healthy versus all subgroups. Conclusions and clinical importance: Results showed an increase in PCT concentration in SIRS horses as previously reported in humans and dogs. PCT could be used as a single assay in equine practice for detection of SIRS.