Our previous study established protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), a ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase, as a specific cytochemical marker of synovial lining cells (type B synoviocytes) in the horse joint. The present study aimed to detect PGP 9.5 in the synovial fluid and shows that PGP 9.5 is a valuable marker of osteoarthritis in the horse. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed rich and consistent localization of PGP 9.5 immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm of synovial lining cells in the normal horse joint. Western blot analysis of synovial fluid from normal joints could detect a significant band corresponding to that contained in the brain and synovial membrane extracts. When 60 synovial fluid samples from normal and abnormal joints were assayed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system, the concentration of PGP 9.5 tended to be elevated in osteochondrosis dissecance, inflammatory arthropathy and intra-articular fracture, among which a statistiture and the control. Thus, this study demonstrated the possibility that PGP 9.5, derived from synovial lining cells, may be a new biochemical marker for arthritic disorders of the horse.

The performance of a commercial ELISA (Bovine Rhinotracheitis virus antibody test Kit, Herdcheck®, IDEXX Laboratories Inc., USA) designed to detect the presence of antibody to the Bovine Herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) in bovine serum, was evaluated in samples of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) serum. Sera of 133 buffaloes without IBR vaccination were performed both by ELISA and standard serum neutralization technique. Sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 97.14% and 46.03%, respectively. The estimated concordance between two serologic diagnostic methods by kappa index was 0.44 IC (0.29-0.59) using 95% confidence level. | O desempenho de um ELISA comercial (Bovine Rhinotracheitis virus antibody test Kit, Herdcheck®, IDEXX Laboratories Inc., USA) para a identificação de anticorpos anti-herpesvírus bovino tipo 1 (BHV-1), em soro bovino, foi avaliado em 133 amostras de soro de búfalos (Bubalus bubalis), sem histórico de vacinação para IBR, da Região do Vale do Ribeira, Estado de São Paulo. Tomando-se a técnica de soroneutralização como referência, o ELISA indireto apresentou sensibilidade e especificidade relativa de 97,14 e 46,03%, respectivamente. A concordância estimada pelo índice kappa, entre os dois métodos, foi de 0,44 IC (0,29-0,59), utilizando um intervalo de confiança de 95%.