The Clinical Pathology Laboratory in the AHDC is now offering Serum Amyloid A (SAA) testing. SAA is an acute phase reactant that is a sensitive and specific marker of inflammation in horses (a reported interval is <5 to 20 ug/ml). Values increase in response to inflammation and rapidly decline with resolution.

• Preferred sample: Serum. Heparin plasma is okay as well. EDTA plasma may yield inaccurate results.
• Stability: Values drop up to 5% within 24 hours and up to 10% by 48 hours of storage (room temperature or refrigerated), so should be run ASAP. If there is a delay until sample submission, best to freeze in a dedicated freezer and submit on dry ice. The decrease in results with storage may cause mildly increased values (e.g. 30 ug/dL) to drop to within reference intervals (based on the reported literature) but should not affect high values (>50 ug/mL).
• For horses, the lower limit of detection is <5 ug/ml. The upper reported limit is 2500 ug/mL.
• Test cost: $38.00

Please contact us if you have any questions.