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

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 con- firmed 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.