This was followed by advanced statistical treatment of the data using a multi-step procedure which included defining cut-off values and calculating detection probabilities for single APPs and for APP combinations.
Combinations of APPs allowed the detection of disease more sensitively than any individual APP and the best three-protein combinations were CRP, apoA1, pigMAP and CRP, apoA1, Hp, respectively, closely followed by the two-protein combinations CRP, pigMAP and apoA1, pigMAP, respectively. For the practical use of such combinations, methodology is described for establishing individual APP threshold values, above which, for any APP in the combination, ongoing infection/inflammation is indicated.
P. MH Heegaard, A. Stockmarr, M. Piñeiro, R. Carpintero, F. Lampreave, F.M. Campbell, P. D. Eckersall, M.J.M. Toussaint, E. Gruys and N.S. Sorensen. Optimal combinations of acute phase proteins for detecting infectious disease in pigs. Veterinary Research 2011, 42:50.