This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Shtrasburg, S. Articles by Livneh, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Shtrasburg, S. Articles by Livneh, A.

An Ancillary Tool for the Diagnosis of Amyloid A Amyloidosis in a Variety of Domestic and Wild Animals

Heller Institute of Medical Research, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel (SS, BK, MP, AL); Department of Pathology, Golda Campus, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tiqva, Israel (RG, RK); Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands (EG); Kimron Veterinary Institute, Beit-Dagan, Israel (SP); Laboratory of Toxicology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (BMM); Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC (AN); and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel (SS, RG, RK, MP, AL)

Immunohistochemistry, the standard method for diagnosing amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis, is limited in animals because it requires a large array of animal-specific anti-AA antibodies, not commercially available. The Shtrasburg method (SH method) is a highly specific and sensitive technique, helping in the diagnosis and determination of AA amyloidosis in humans. The aim of this study is to determine whether the SH method is applicable in the diagnosis of AA amyloidosis in a variety of animals. Tissue samples were obtained from animals suffering from spontaneous or experimentally induced AA amyloidosis (mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, cheetahs, cats, cows, ducks, a dog, a goose, a chicken, and a turaco). Detection of the amyloid and quantitative evaluation were performed using Congo red staining, and specific AA typing was performed by the potassium permanganate technique. The studied tissues were subjected to the SH method, which confirmed the AA nature of the amyloid deposit, by displaying in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis protein bands consistent with the molecular weight of the species-specific AA, in all the animals examined, except mice, hamsters, and guinea pigs. N-terminal analysis of these bands corroborated their AA origin. We conclude that the SH method may be used as an ancillary simple tool for the diagnosis of AA amyloidosis in a large number of domestic and wild animals. Moreover, our findings further increase the feasibility of applying this method in humans.

Key words: AA amyloidosis; amyloid A; amyloid-enhancing factor; animal model; N-terminal sequence analysis; reactive amyloidosis; the Shtrasburg method.

Request reprints from Mr. S. Shtrasburg, Heller Institute of Medical Research, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer 52621 (Israel). E-mail: shmuels{at}sheba.health.gov.il