Evaluation of blood constituents as diagnostic markers for ethmoid carcinoma in cattle

Abstract

An investigation was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of blood constituents as tumor markers for carcinoma of ethmoid mucosa in cattle. During the period of two years, twenty nine tumour bearing cattle in various stages of ethmoid carcinoma procured from different parts of Kerala and twelve clinically healthy animals maintained at the University Livestock Farm, Mannuthy (controls) were bled and serum samples were collected. Serum calcium, serum phosphorus and serum magnesium levels of tumour animals were compared with that of the control animals. Tumour animals had a mean serum calcium level of 11.78 +0.23 mg percent, mean serum phosphorous level of 6.11+0.10 mg percent and mean serum magnesium level of 2.35 + 0.05 mg percent. In control animals the mean serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium levels were 10.23 + 0.10 mg percent, 6.66 + 0.09 mg percent and 2.27 + 0.10 mg percentThere was increase in the serum calcium level and reduction in serum phosphorous level in tumour bearing animals was statistically significant. The serum magnesium level did not reveal any statistical significance. The mean serum total sialic acid and mean serum lipid bound sialic acid levels in tumour bearing animals was 95.21 + 0.78 ng/dl and 30.83 + 0.36 ng/dl respectively and in control animals it was 60.67 + 0.87 ng/dl and 11.67 +0.43 ng/dl respectively. Both serum total sialic acid and serum lipid bound sialic acid level in tumour bearing animals was high when compared with that of control animals and the increase was statistically significant. Serum from twenty – nine tumour bearing animals and serum control animals were tested against the prepared tumour antigen using agar gel precipitation test for detecting tumour antibodies. All the twenty nine serum samples from tumour animals showed two distinct precipitin bands, one band close to the serum well and another sharp band closer towards the antigen well. Majority of the control animal serum samples also showed both the preciptin bands although some of the control samples did not show the sharp band nearer to the antigen well. Passive haemagglutination test was conducted using tumour antigen sensitized gluteraldehyde stabilized sheep red blood cells, tumour animal serum control animal serum and proper controls. The highest titre value obtained for serum of tumour animals was 1:256 and the lowest was 1:8. In control animals it was 1: 128 and 1:32 respectively for highest and lowest titre values. Since in the control animals the titre value showed only the difference of one well the comparison of the control and tumour animals titre values indicated that a base line cut off value cannot be obtained to differentiate the tumour infected and control animals. None of the tumour samples processed and inoculated into embryonated eggs revealed the presence of any haemagglutinating agents.