engleski

Serum platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) activity and lipid status in horses with subclinical leptospirosis

PAF-AH is an anti-inflammatory enzyme degradeting platelet-activating factor. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of subclinical infection with Leptospira spp. on PAF-AH activity and lipid status in horses. A total of 63 horses’ sera were divided into three groups according to antibody titre against Leptospira spp. Group 1 (n=21) comprised sera serologically negative on leptospirosis ; Group 2 (n=23) had residual antibody titre (50-200) and group 3 (n=19) had high antibody titre (>1600). All horses were without clinical signs of leptospirosis. Serum PAF-AH activity was not statistically different between serologically negative horses (740 U/L) and those with residual (735 U/L) and high antibody titre (790 U/L). Lipid status was not significantly different among study groups as well. However, significant positive correlations of PAF-AH activity with total cholesterol (r=0.307 ; p<0.05) and HDL-C (r=0.434, p<0.001) were found for all samples. Results indicate low level of systemic inflammatory response in horses with subclinical leptospirosis. Further studies with clinically manifested disease are needed to elucidate the potential role of PAF-AH as an inflammatory marker of leptospirosis.

leptospirosis; platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase; inflammation; horses

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