Comparison of a point-of-care serum amyloid A analyzer frequently used in equine practice with 2 turbidimetric immunoassays used in human and veterinary medicine

Rapid, accurate detection of serum amyloid A (SAA) is needed in equine practice. We validated a patient-side point-of-care (POC) assay (Stablelab; Zoetis) compared to the turbidimetric immunoassays LZ-SAA (TIA-Hum) and VET-SAA (TIA-Vet; both Eiken Chemical). Analytical performance was assessed at 3 different concentration ranges and with interferences. Inter-method comparison using 49 equine serum samples revealed a significant difference between median SAA results (p < 0.0001), with the strongest bias between the POC and TIA-Vet (median 1,093 vs. 578 mg/L). The median SAA value obtained with the TIA-Hum method was 752 mg/L. Correlation between POC/TIA-Hum and between POC/TIA-Vet was fair (r(s) = 0.77 and 0.69) and excellent between both TIAs (r(s) = 0.93). Bias between POC/TIA-Hum, POC/TIA-Vet, and TIA-Hum/TIA-Vet was −56.7%, –80.9%, and −28.2%, respectively. POC intra- and inter-assay CVs (16.1–30% and 19.8–35.5%) were higher than TIA CVs (generally <12%). Bilirubin and hemoglobin had a negative bias on POC and TIA-Vet results (−16.6 to −45.6%); addition of intralipid yielded a positive bias (35.9–77.4%). The POC had good linearity of SAA concentrations up to 10,312 mg/L (R(2) = 0.92). A hook effect was present at SAA >3,000 mg/L for the POC assay. Equine serum SAA was stable over a median period of 2.5 y when stored at −80°C. Overall, there was excellent-to-moderate correlation between tests, but imprecision and hook effect of the POC, as well as bias between the methods, must be considered.