Measuring Cardiac Troponin I in Snake Cardiac Muscle: A Pilot Study

Testing for troponins is gaining in popularity in the veterinary community as a cardiac diagnostic screening aide. Cardiac troponin concentrations have been investigated in veterinary medicine, and several studies have shown that troponin concentrations can be elevated in primary heart disease as well as pericardial disease. Recent studies question the validity of a point-of-care cardiac troponin I (cTnI) immunoassay in reptile species. It has been suggested that the point-of-care cTnI immunoassay may not recognize the reptile cTnI. This pilot study evaluates the point-of-care cTnI immunoassay with reptile cardiac tissue homogenates.