Acute-phase proteins as indicators of diseases in animals

Acute-phase proteins are a series of proteins fond in the blood shortly after the onset of an infection, acute inflammation and tissue damage. They are produced by the liver and, to a lesser extent by lymphocytes, monocytes, epithelial cells and fibroblasts, in response to inflammatory mediators. In the acute phase response the levels of some plasma proteins drop, while the levels of others increase markedly. The most important acute-phase proteins are C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp). Many of the acute-phase proteins function as a defence in the host against infectious diseases, cancer and tissue destruction. By measuring serum acute-phase proteins it is possible to identify animals with severe infect ins, inflammatory conditions and neoplasm. This may be of benefit in ante-mortem meat inspection in order to identify those animals which not are fit for consumption.