Taurine
Plasma Taurine Levels in Healthy Cats and Cats with Cardiac Disorders1 *Hospital and Outpatient Clinic for Small Domestic Animals, ÃŒRudolf Virchow University Hospital, Children's Hospital and Outpatient Clinic Empresses Auguste Victoria House, and Free University, Berlin, Germany EXPANDED ABSTRACT
Indexing Key Words: •symposium
TABLE 1
•cats •taurine
Pretreatment plasma tatuine levels compared with cardiological findings Heart disease
Between November 1987 and March 1990 the plasma taurine level of 125 cats was determined, a cardiological examination performed and a nutritional history taken. All cats were normally kept indoors; only ~25% of them were outdoors for a few hours a day. Sixty-eight of the cats examined showed clinical signs of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP), diagnosed by auscultatory, electrocardiographical, radiological and echocardiographical findings (1). In 44 of these cats suffering from DCMP, plasma taurine was ±£40 /nnol/L (2). In eight cats the plasma taurine was be tween 50 and 60 /imol/L, and in 15 cats, between 70 and 120 pmol/L. Only one cat had a plasma taurine level > 120 ¿imol/L(Table 1). Ten cats were treated with 500 mg taurine/d; seven showed clinical improvement. Initially, all cats re ceived also digoxin and/or diuretics. Twelve cats with hypertrophie cardiomyopathy (HCMP) had plasma taurine levels between 40 and 249 /imol/L (Table 1). In eight cats the plasma taurine level and the taurine content of cardiac and skeleton muscle were com pared. In six instances plasma taurine levels, taurine content of cardiac cells and the clinical and/or mor phological diagnosis corresponded very well. Twentynine cats in six different households fed the same type of cat food within each household had rather large differences in plasma taurine levels suggesting that taurine intake was not the only factor producing low taurine levels and possibly DCMP. Different brands of moist canned cat food were an alyzed for taurine and remarkable differences within and between brands were found. In Figure 1, different
Plasma taurine levels
DCMP1
HCMP1
Possible
Congenital
None
10-40Mmol/Ln%50-60
xmol/Ln%70-120,,mol/Ln%>120)«nol/Ln%Totaln%57100.021100.036100.011100.0125100.04477.283
1DCMP, dilated cardiomyopathy;
HCMP, hypertrophie
cardiomyopathy.
types of food fed to the cats are correlated with the plasma taurine levels. Foods A, B and C are canned commercial cat foods available in Germany. The an alyzed level of taurine in random samples of the three diets was 910-1800 nmol/g wet weight for diet A, 1300-1690 nmol/g for diet B and 780 nmol/g for diet C. A diet consisting of 50% homemade and 50% com1Presented as part of the Waltham International Symposium on Nutrition of Small Companion Animals, at University of California, Davis, CA 95616, on September 4-8, 1990. Guest editors for the symposium were James G. Morris, D'Ann C. Finley and Quinton R. Rogers. 1To whom correspondence should be addressed: Oertzenweg 19B, D1000 Berlin 37, Germany.
0022-3166/91 $3.00©1991 American Institute of Nutrition. J. Nutr. 121:8171-8172,
S171
Total
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/121/suppl_11/S171/4744132 by Tulane University user on 13 January 2019
M. SKRODZKI*2 E. TRAUTVETTER* AND E. MONCHI
1991.
SKRODZKI,
S172
TRAUTVETTER
AND MÖNCH
Plasmalerei 10-40|imol/l
70-120^mol/1
)120jimol/l
FoodA FIGURE 1 Relationship is shown in Table 1.
Homecooked between type of food and taurine plasma levels. The number of cats in each plasma level category
mereiai food was also fed to some of the cats. About 50% of the cats with taurine plasma levels of ^60 ¿tmol/Lwere fed either entirely or partly the home made diet or the cat food type C. Therefore, our data suggest that cats receiving homemade food are es pecially prone to have low plasma taurine levels and DCMP. This conclusion is also supported by obser vations in 11 cats studied from East Berlin where com mercial pet food is not available. All cats had low plasma taurine levels and 4 out of 11 showed signs of DCMP. In summary, a feline DCMP related to low plasma taurine levels has been reported in Germany (West Berlin); however, some cats with low plasma taurine levels show normal cardiac function. Commercial cat food ranging from 0.8 to 1.8 //mol taurine/g moist diet
may lead to DCMP. Despite taurine supplementation to commercial cat food, DCMP was found in cats with normal plasma taurine levels, and it appears that some forms of feline DCMP only respond to cardiac drugs.
LITERATURE CITED 1. SKRODZKI, M. & TRAUTVETTER, E. (1989) Feline kardiomyopathien und Plasmataurinspiegel. 35. Jahrestagung der Fachgruppe Kleintierkrankheiten der Deutschen Veterinärmedizinischen Gesellschah Deutsche Gruppe der WSAVA. 2. PIONP. D., KITTLESON, M. D., ROGERS,Q. R. & MORRIS,J. G. (1987| Myocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: a reversible cardiomyopathy. Science (Washington, DC) 64-68.
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/121/suppl_11/S171/4744132 by Tulane University user on 13 January 2019
50-60jimol/1
Plasma Taurine Levels in Healthy Cats and Cats with Cardiac Disorders1 *Hospital and Outpatient Clinic for Small Domestic Animals, ÃŒRudolf Virchow University Hospital, Children's Hospital and Outpatient Clinic Empresses Auguste Victoria House, and Free University, Berlin, Germany EXPANDED ABSTRACT
Indexing Key Words: •symposium
TABLE 1
•cats •taurine
Pretreatment plasma tatuine levels compared with cardiological findings Heart disease
Between November 1987 and March 1990 the plasma taurine level of 125 cats was determined, a cardiological examination performed and a nutritional history taken. All cats were normally kept indoors; only ~25% of them were outdoors for a few hours a day. Sixty-eight of the cats examined showed clinical signs of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP), diagnosed by auscultatory, electrocardiographical, radiological and echocardiographical findings (1). In 44 of these cats suffering from DCMP, plasma taurine was ±£40 /nnol/L (2). In eight cats the plasma taurine was be tween 50 and 60 /imol/L, and in 15 cats, between 70 and 120 pmol/L. Only one cat had a plasma taurine level > 120 ¿imol/L(Table 1). Ten cats were treated with 500 mg taurine/d; seven showed clinical improvement. Initially, all cats re ceived also digoxin and/or diuretics. Twelve cats with hypertrophie cardiomyopathy (HCMP) had plasma taurine levels between 40 and 249 /imol/L (Table 1). In eight cats the plasma taurine level and the taurine content of cardiac and skeleton muscle were com pared. In six instances plasma taurine levels, taurine content of cardiac cells and the clinical and/or mor phological diagnosis corresponded very well. Twentynine cats in six different households fed the same type of cat food within each household had rather large differences in plasma taurine levels suggesting that taurine intake was not the only factor producing low taurine levels and possibly DCMP. Different brands of moist canned cat food were an alyzed for taurine and remarkable differences within and between brands were found. In Figure 1, different
Plasma taurine levels
DCMP1
HCMP1
Possible
Congenital
None
10-40Mmol/Ln%50-60
xmol/Ln%70-120,,mol/Ln%>120)«nol/Ln%Totaln%57100.021100.036100.011100.0125100.04477.283
1DCMP, dilated cardiomyopathy;
HCMP, hypertrophie
cardiomyopathy.
types of food fed to the cats are correlated with the plasma taurine levels. Foods A, B and C are canned commercial cat foods available in Germany. The an alyzed level of taurine in random samples of the three diets was 910-1800 nmol/g wet weight for diet A, 1300-1690 nmol/g for diet B and 780 nmol/g for diet C. A diet consisting of 50% homemade and 50% com1Presented as part of the Waltham International Symposium on Nutrition of Small Companion Animals, at University of California, Davis, CA 95616, on September 4-8, 1990. Guest editors for the symposium were James G. Morris, D'Ann C. Finley and Quinton R. Rogers. 1To whom correspondence should be addressed: Oertzenweg 19B, D1000 Berlin 37, Germany.
0022-3166/91 $3.00©1991 American Institute of Nutrition. J. Nutr. 121:8171-8172,
S171
Total
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/121/suppl_11/S171/4744132 by Tulane University user on 13 January 2019
M. SKRODZKI*2 E. TRAUTVETTER* AND E. MONCHI
1991.
SKRODZKI,
S172
TRAUTVETTER
AND MÖNCH
Plasmalerei 10-40|imol/l
70-120^mol/1
)120jimol/l
FoodA FIGURE 1 Relationship is shown in Table 1.
Homecooked between type of food and taurine plasma levels. The number of cats in each plasma level category
mereiai food was also fed to some of the cats. About 50% of the cats with taurine plasma levels of ^60 ¿tmol/Lwere fed either entirely or partly the home made diet or the cat food type C. Therefore, our data suggest that cats receiving homemade food are es pecially prone to have low plasma taurine levels and DCMP. This conclusion is also supported by obser vations in 11 cats studied from East Berlin where com mercial pet food is not available. All cats had low plasma taurine levels and 4 out of 11 showed signs of DCMP. In summary, a feline DCMP related to low plasma taurine levels has been reported in Germany (West Berlin); however, some cats with low plasma taurine levels show normal cardiac function. Commercial cat food ranging from 0.8 to 1.8 //mol taurine/g moist diet
may lead to DCMP. Despite taurine supplementation to commercial cat food, DCMP was found in cats with normal plasma taurine levels, and it appears that some forms of feline DCMP only respond to cardiac drugs.
LITERATURE CITED 1. SKRODZKI, M. & TRAUTVETTER, E. (1989) Feline kardiomyopathien und Plasmataurinspiegel. 35. Jahrestagung der Fachgruppe Kleintierkrankheiten der Deutschen Veterinärmedizinischen Gesellschah Deutsche Gruppe der WSAVA. 2. PIONP. D., KITTLESON, M. D., ROGERS,Q. R. & MORRIS,J. G. (1987| Myocardial failure in cats associated with low plasma taurine: a reversible cardiomyopathy. Science (Washington, DC) 64-68.
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/121/suppl_11/S171/4744132 by Tulane University user on 13 January 2019
50-60jimol/1
