Prognostic potential of copper, zinc, copper/zinc ratio, cobalamin, and serum amyloid A in cats with panleukopenia

Abstract Background Copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and the copper/zinc ratio (Cu/Zn), which have been studied in gastrointestinal disorders of humans, may facilitate disease prognosis. Objective Evaluate the predictive potential of Cu, Zn, cobalamin, and serum amyloid A (SAA) as prognostic indicators in cats with feline panleukopenia (FPV) on admission. Animals Client‐owned cats diagnosed with FPV and controls. Methods Serum Cu and Zn concentrations were assessed using the spectrophotometric method and serum concentrations of SAA and cobalamin were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay. Results On admission, survivor cats with FPV had significantly higher serum Cu and SAA concentrations and Cu/Zn ratios and significantly lower serum Zn and cobalamin concentrations than controls. Furthermore, non‐survivor cats with FPV had significantly higher serum Cu and SAA concentrations and Cu/Zn ratios and significantly lower cobalamin concentrations than survivors and controls. Prognostic thresholds were calculated, with positive predictive value (PPV) for survival of 90% for Cu (≥120.3 μg/dL), 90% for Cu/Zn (≥1.34), 90% for cobalamin (≤430.4 pg/mL), and 90% for SAA (≥0.85 mg/L). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Cu (0.93 area under curve [AUC]), Cu/Zn (0.95 AUC), cobalamin (0.98 AUC), and SAA (0.98 AUC) were excellent biomarkers for predicting prognosis in cats with FPV. Their effectiveness, as assessed by sensitivity (100%), specificity (80%), AUC (0.98), and PPV (90%) from receiver operating characteristic analysis, emphasizes the performance of cobalamin and SAA.