Abstract

Background and Aim: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) causes huge economic losses in Egypt due to reductions in the production of red meat, milk, and milk by-products and can also lead to myocarditis in young animals. The aim of our study was to evaluate cardiac biomarkers, in particular cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and to reveal the relations of cardiac biomarkers with poor survival in FMD-infected Egyptian buffalo calves.

Materials and Methods: Forty-two Egyptian buffalo calves were included in this study. The calves were divided into 12 apparently healthy control calves and 30 calves clinically diagnosed with FMD during a disease outbreak in Menofia and Behera Governorates, Egypt. The diseased calves were divided, according to age, into 13 calves <3 months old and 17 calves between 3 and 6 months old. The animals were examined clinically and subjected to analysis of cardiac biomarkers.

Results: Biochemical analysis revealed significant elevations of cardiac biomarkers, especially creatine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cardiac troponin T (cTnT), and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in FMD-infected calves in comparison with control calves. There was a significant association between cTnI and poor survival in infected calves.

Conclusion: Cardiac biomarkers could be used as a rapid method for diagnosis of myocarditis induced by FMD in Egyptian buffalo calves. In addition, cTnI is a very sensitive and accurate tool for determining myocardial cell damage in the earlier stages of the disease and a good predictor of poor survival in calves. Keywords: cardiac troponin I, Egyptian buffalo calves, foot-and-mouth disease, myocarditis.

Keywords: cardiac troponin I, Egyptian buffalo calves, foot-and-mouth disease, myocarditis.