FRUCTOSAMINE MEASUREMENT IN PONIES - VALIDATION AND RESPONSE FOLLOWING EXPERIMENTAL CYATHOSTOME INFECTION

Validation of an assay for measurement of fructosamine in equine serum and plasma utilised blood samples collected from 24 British native br eed ponies. The results indicated that fructosamine can be measured ea sily using an assay which is precise and accurate. Paired plasma and s erum fructosamine measurements were highly correlated, however, greate r Variations were observed within serum compared with those in plasma. A reference range for fructosamine in plasma was calculated to be 256 .9+/-60.6 mu mol litre(-1) (mean+/-2 SD). In order to assess the fruct osamine response following experimental cyathostome infection, nine Br itish native breed ponies were allocated to one of three groups: Group 1 (3.9 million third-stage cyathostome larvae (L-3) over a nine-week- period), Group 2 (3.15 million L-3 over seven weeks) and Group 3 (unin fected controls). From four weeks prior to infection, blood was obtain ed, once weekly, from all animals for measurement of plasma fructosami ne, plasma albumin and serum globulin concentrations. Plasma fructosam ine concentrations decreased in all infected ponies post-infection due to enteric protein loss and/or altered protein composition and/or inc reased protein turnover.