Veterinarians know that serum amyloid A (SAA) testing can help them identify a variety of ailments—including respiratory, gastrointestinal, and reproductive tract injury or infections—early, sometimes even before the horse starts showing signs of a problem. But could it also tell practitioners exactly where to look for the problem? Researchers in Poland recently sought to find out.

“SAA is a protein that is released in large quantities—between 10 and 1,000 times more than normal—from the liver into the bloodstream during the initial phase of inflammation that occurs subsequent to infection and injury,” explained Agnieszka Turlo, DVM, from the Warsaw University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, in Poland. “Once in the circulation, SAA plays an important role in modulating inflammation and the immune system.”

Researchers have also found increased SAA levels in Thoroughbred racehorses with musculoskeletal injuries.

“Measuring SAA levels to identify horses at risk of musculoskeletal injuries would be valuable, especially if the increase in SAA levels could help identify the type of injury or the tissues involved,” said Turlo