Chapters authored
The Use of Serum Proteins in the Laboratory Diagnosis of Health Disorders in Ruminants
Although hundreds of proteins exist in blood serum, little is known about the precise composition and entire set of serum proteins in different ruminant species. Under physiological conditions, the production of serum proteins is closely regulated, but alterations in the serum protein pattern may occur in a wide range of diseases and health disorders. During the last several years, substantial progress was seen in the application of serum protein analyses for diagnostic purposes. The serum protein profile is mostly evaluated by serum protein electrophoresis, which allows the identification of protein fractions, each being composed of several individual proteins with similar electrophoretic mobility. Many disease processes can cause changes in the concentrations of serum proteins. Therefore, the determination of their concentrations and the evaluation of changes in their concentrations during the disease process may provide important diagnostic information for assessing the health state. Despite this usefulness, the evaluation of serum protein pattern is still relatively a less frequently used laboratory diagnostic technique in ruminant medicine. Thus, the usefulness of serum proteins in the diagnosis of health disorders and the possible clinical application of the results of the electrophoretic separation of serum proteins in ruminants will be reviewed in this chapter.
Part of the book: Ruminants