Correlation between serum acute phase proteins, lung pathology, and disease severity in pigs experimentally co-infected with H3N2 swine influenza virus and Bordetella bronchiseptica

The kinetics of C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), and pig major acute protein (Pig-MAP) response in pigs co-infected with H3N2 swine influenza virus (SwH3N2) and Bordetella bronchiseptica (Bbr) was studied with assessment of potential correlations between the concentration of acute phase proteins (APPs) in serum samples, lung lesions, and the clinical course of the disease in co-infected pigs. The standard bacteriological methods for detection of Bbr and PCR technique for identification of Bbr and SwH3N2 were used. The serum concentrations of APPs were measured using ELISA. the concentration of CRP, SAA, and Pig-MAP was significantly higher from 2 to 4 or 5 dpi. The concentration of Hp was elevated until the end of the study. Significant correlations were found between the serum concentration of SAA and Pig-MAP and clinical score, and between the concentration of SAA and lung score. Apart from their potential as biological markers for co-infections, SAA and Pig-MAP levels have additive value since the are related to the severity of infection. The results indicate that measurement of APP (i.e SAA) may prove valuable in assessing the severity of respiratory infection in pigs, and may be of supportive value in the clinical evaluation of animals and in the selection of more appropriate treatment.