Sensitivities, specificities and correlates of certain liver damage marker parameters in Red Sokoto goats

This study comparatively evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of various serum biochemical markers of liver damage in the diagnosis of hepatic disorders in Red Sokoto goats billed for slaughter. The study design was a cross-sectional survey. Research visits to Ikpa Market Lairage and Abattoir located in Nsukka, Enugu state, Nigeria, were made two times a week for the period of 12  weeks. All goats presented for sale and slaughter on the days of the research visits were evaluated. The goats were examined and tagged. Blood samples were collected from the jugular veins of the goats prior to slaughter for harvesting of sera which were used for the assay of aspartate aminotransf erase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), albumin and cholesterol. Upon slaughter and evisceration, the liver was examined and photographed. Calculations on the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the serum biochemical parameters were made. Comparative evaluation of the clinical values showed that combining results of the assayed serum biochemical markers of liver damage improved the number of true positives (22.31%) and sensitivity of up to 71.05%. AST and ALT, cholesterol and albumin correlated positively and st rongly (p <  0.001), while albumin and GGT, cholesterol and GGT correlated negatively. It was concluded that the sensitivity of diagnosis improved when the serum biochemical markers of liver damage were ...
Source: Comparative Clinical Pathology - Category: Pathology Source Type: research