Use of two different methods for glucose determination in sheep under normoglycemic, hypoglycemic, and hyperglycemic conditions: An evaluation of practical diagnostic methods in ovines.

Marina Chenard; Jade Bastos; Matheus Valle; Isabelle Magalhães da Cunha; Nayro Alencar; Daniel Lessa; Guilherme Souza; Nathalie Cunha; Michel Helayel

Just Accepted

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Use of two different methods for glucose determination in sheep under normoglycemic, hypoglycemic, and hyperglycemic conditions: An evaluation of practical diagnostic methods in ovines.

Marina Chenard, Jade Bastos , Matheus Valle, Isabelle Magalhães da Cunha, Nayro Alencar, Daniel Lessa, Guilherme Souza, Nathalie Cunha, Michel Helayel

Abstract

Context: Animals can present abnormal blood glucose levels due to various diseases or pathological conditions, stress, or hunger. Early diagnosis prevents complications, economic losses, and death. The portable glucometer (PG) has proven to be a good, simple, and practical alternative method with good precision and accuracy for assessing blood glucose in humans and companion animals. Aims: The objective of this work was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of a portable glucometer (PG) for assessing glycemia in normoglycemic, hypoglycemic, and hyperglycemic sheep. Methods: Blood glucose was evaluated in 60 normoglycemic, 15 hypoglycemic, and 15 hyperglycemic sheep. Blood samples were collected and analyzed within 2 hours using PG and the enzymatic method (EM). Each test was evaluated for sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve for two cutoff points: one for hypoglycemia and the other for hyperglycemia. Main results: The results of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p < 0.05) for all groups evaluated did not show a normal distribution for the values evaluated by PG and EM. Despite the significant difference found between the medians of the methods and the low homogeneity according to the coefficient of variation (CV), there was a homogeneous and linear dispersion of the results. The Bland-Altman test showed that the mean difference between the two methods was close to zero, denoting good agreement, precision, and accuracy of PG when compared to EM. Conclusions: PG presents high accuracy and precision for assessing glycemia in sheep, providing satisfactory and reliable results when compared to EM. Implications: The use of PG facilitates the veterinarian's routine, promoting early diagnosis, field examinations, and monitoring of metabolic diseases.

AN24165 Accepted 21 June 2024