Measurement of serum albumin by protein electrophoresis and bromocresol green methods in canine and equine patients
2012
Ramery, Eve | Bureau, Fabrice
Background: Bromocresol green method (BCG) is routinely used in veterinary laboratories to measure albumin. A good agreement between BCG and electrophoresis (SPE) in healthy domestic animals is reported. However, in human medicine, at low albumin and high globulin concentrations, BCG also binds to α- and β-globulins fractions. Surprisingly, there is no recent literature evaluating the BCG method in diseased domestic animals. Objective: The purpose of the present study was therefore to compare the serum albumin values obtained by SPE and BCG in canine and equine patients. Methods: Albumin measured by BCG and SPE was compared in the serum from 30 canine and 30 equine patients. Results: Good correlation was found (Spearman´s rho rs = 0.91 in dogs and 0.84 in horses). However, Altman and Bland analysis of results showed a positive bias of BCG with SPE (3.41 g/l in horses and 0.41 g/l in dogs) that increased when only hypoalbuminemic patients were considered (4.17 g/l in horses and 1.31 g/l in dogs). Conclusion: Results confirm that, despite good correlation, BCG method tends to overestimate albumin, especially in hypoalbuminemic patients. This is particularly evident in horses.
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