**Acknowledgements**

half of the group of cows with hoof diseases showed β-γ bridging [263]. Constantin et al. [272] evaluated the serum protein profile and its changes in cows affected by clinical endometritis,

The usefulness of the electrophoretic separation of serum proteins was studied by Woolf et al. [273] in bighorn sheep with chronic pneumonia attributed to *Mycoplasma*. In this study, dis-

of the serum protein electrophoretic profile were investigated also in sheep naturally infected with *Babesia ovis* [251]. In this study, the diseased sheep before treatment had markedly lower concentrations of both total serum proteins and all protein fractions when compared with healthy animals. A significant increase of total serum proteins and globulins (except for the α-globulin fraction) was found 5 days after treatment, but the values were still lower than those obtained in healthy sheep. The aforementioned authors stated that babesiosis may induce intense proteolysis of the circulating proteins probably due to the altered protein synthesis by the liver, which was improved by the eradication of parasites. Similarly, the alterations in the serum protein profile induced by the infection with *Haemonchus contortus* were studied by Diogenes et al. [245] in goats. In the infected goats, severe hypoproteinemia and

edly increased. Experimental infection of goats by *Fasciola hepatica* resulted also in changes in serum protein profile, manifested by decreased concentrations of albumin, increased values of total serum proteins, γ-globulins, and increased proportion of acute-phase proteins from

Changes in the serum proteinogram were found also in sheep with acute ruminal lactic acidosis with the most intense alterations in the α-globulins [275]. Increased concentrations were recorded in the concentrations of haptoglobin, probably due to the death of Gram-negative bacteria caused by decreased ruminal pH, as well as inflammatory processes induced by ruminitis. Acute ruminal acidosis in sheep was accompanied also by the increase in the values

The obtained data suggest that the analysis of serum protein profile may be a useful diagnostic tool also in ruminants. It may provide important diagnostic information for clinicians in the determination and differentiation of dysproteinemias or paraproteinemias. Changes in serum proteins can be indicative of many health problems and may serve as potential diagnostic markers for some pathological conditions. The abnormal electrophoretic pattern of serum proteins may be characteristic for some disorders or disease conditions, but others may indicate only non-specific pathological processes. Despite of this low specificity in the diagnosis of some diseases, the determination of the serum protein pattern also in ruminants and




and found lower concentrations of albumin and higher values of α<sup>2</sup>

126 Ruminants - The Husbandry, Economic and Health Aspects

eased sheep had significantly lower albumin, and higher α<sup>1</sup>

hypoalbuminemia were observed, while the concentrations of α- and γ<sup>2</sup>


the α- and β-globulin fractions [274].

of α<sup>1</sup>

**8. Conclusions**

**7. The use of serum protein electrophoresis in small ruminants**

This work was supported by Scientific Grant Agency of Ministry of Education SR No. 1/0154/15 and 1/0486/17.
