Abstract
Sialic acid (SA) in bovine blood was assayed by five methods: the enzyme, the resorcinol, the thiobarbituric acid, Ehrlich's, and Hess'. There were highly significant statistical correlations among the values obtained by these methods. The plasma concentration of SA measured by the enzyme method and that of mucoprotein (MP) measured by the Coomasie Brilliant Blue G-250 method were 51.6±7.6mg/dl and 111.3±33.4mg/dl, respectively, in 136 healthy adult cattle. The plasma level of SA was higher in 138 bovine neonates during 14 postnatal days than in normal adult cattle, and that of MP in the former during 35 postnatal days.
The serum concentrations of SA and MP were measured in 206 cattle affected with some inflammatory diseases diagnosed by meat-inspecting or practicing veterinarians. They were much higher in cattle with pyemia and endocarditis verrucosa and higher in those with liver abscess, nephritis, arthritis and mastitis than in normal cattle. They showed a difinite pattern in cattle having received laparotomy during a postoperative period till repair. As indicators for the diagnosis of an inflammatory disease and for the condition of postoperative course in cattle, the assay of both substances seemed to be very useful.
