Sulphido-leukotriene production from peripheral leukocytes and skin in clinically normal dogs and house dust mite positive atopic dogs

Pathogenesis of canine atopy has not been completely elucidated. In humans, sulphido-leukotrienes (s-LT) play a role in atopy, and increased production of s-LT occurs in the skin and peripheral leukocytes after allergen challenge. The study population included 16 clinically normal and 13 atopic dogs. All atopic dogs had in common a positive reaction (4+) to the intradermal injection of house dust mite (allergen of reference). Blood samples and skin biopsies were collected. Sulphido-LT synthesis by peripheral leukocytes after stimulation was measured, and no statistically significant difference was found between clinically normal and atopic dogs. Sulphido-LT concentrations in skin samples from stimulated and unstimulated sites were measured, and no statistically significant difference was detected between clinically normal and atopic dogs or between lesional and nonlesional skin within the atopic group. Clinical signs of atopic dogs were graded by owners and no correlation was found between their severity and cutaneous concentrations of s-LT. In this study there was no increase in s-LT synthesis in atopic dogs.     

The Effects of Essential Fatty Acid Supplementation on Intradermal Test Reactivity in Atopic Dogs: a Preliminary Study

Abstract— Twenty-one perennially affected atopic dogs with previous intradermal test reactivity to two or more environmental allergens were retested while receiving either a combination of evening primrose oil and fish oil (EfaVet Regular, Efamol Vet) or a concentrated supplement containing gammalinolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid (HGF capsules). Significant differences in the mean number of positive reactions before and during therapy were not found. In addition, the mean histamine, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and housedust wheal diameters before and during therapy were not significantly different. However, the mean human dander wheal diameter was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) at the second test, and the mean Dermatophagoides farinae wheal diameter was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in a group of seven dogs which had received long-term essential fatty acid supplementation with HGF capsules. These results indicate that essential fatty acid supplementation does not abrogate but may reduce intradermal test reactivity in atopic dogs. Résumé— Vingt et un chiens atopiques, présentant des symptômes non saisonniers, ayant eu des tests cutanés positifs à au moins un pneumallergène ont été testés alors qu'ils recevaient une association d'huile d'onagre et d'huile de poisson (Efa Vet Regular, Efamol Vet) ou un supplément concentré d'acides gammalinolénique et éicosapentaénoique (capsules HGF). Aucune différence significative dans le nombre moyen de réactions positives avant et après traitement n'a été observée. En outre les diamètres moyens des réactions à l'histamine. Dermatophagoïdes pteronyssinus et la poussère de maison avant et après traitement n'étaient pas significativement différents. Toutefois, le diamètre moyen des réactions aux squames humaines étaient significativement réduits (P < 0,05) lors du second test, et le diamètre moyen des réactions àDermatophagoïdes farinaeétait significativement réduit (P < 0,05) dans un groupe de sept chiens ayant reçu une supplémentation à long terme de capsules HGF. Ces résultate montrent qu'une supplementation en acides gras essentiel n'anihile pas les tests cutanés mais peu modérer la réactivité cutanée chez certains chiens atopiques. Resumen Veintiún perros atópicos de tipo estacional que presentaban reactividad positiva en la prueba de inyacciones intradérmicas con respecto a dos o más alergenos ambientales, fueron sometidos a una segunda prueba recibiendo simultáneamente una combinación de aceite de Evening Primrose y aceite de pescado (Efa Vet Regular, Efamol Vet) o un concentrado que contenía ácidos gammalinoleico y ecosapentanoico (HGF cápsulas). No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la media de las reacciones positivas antes y después de la medicación. Tampoco se encontraron diferencias significativas entre las medidas del diámetro de la roncha producida por la histamina, el Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus y el alergeno del polvo. Sin embargo, la media del diámetro producido por el alergeno de la caspa humana se vió considerablemente reducida en el segundo test (P < 0.05), así como la del Dermatophagoides farinae (P < 0.05) en un grupo de siete perros los cuales recibieron suplementación con ácidos grasos esenciales a largo plato con HGF cápsulas. Éstos resultados indican que el uso de ácidos grasos esenciales no produce supresión de las reacciones positivas del test intradérmico en perros atópicos, pero sí de las mismas.     

A Retrospective Study of Hyposensitization in Canine Atopy Based on a Polyclonal ELISA test

Compliance with the treatment protocol and the most significant reasons encountered in general practice for the discontinuation of treatment in hyposensitized dogs are examined. The data are based on (1) a review of order forms for the hyposenzitization mixture and information sheets for an ELISA test and (2) telephone interviews with dog owners. Most of the owners (81%) gave their dogs allergen injections at home. Non-compliance was defined as discontinuation of treatment in the induction period; 33.9% of the owners became non-compliant. A large proportion of non-compliant owners (51.2%) claimed to be unaware of the length of the induction period. Furthermore, 70.2% of the owners were not aware that treatment would most likely need to be lifelong if it was to remain effective. Although 67.5% of the owners perceived that their dogs had beneficial effects from hyposensitization, only 36.3% of the dogs were receiving maintenance injections at the time of the telephone interview, considerably reducing the long-term benefit from treatment. Canine atopy is a chronic disease characterized by remission and relapses. Since no control group was available in this study, the beneficial outcome of treatment reported by the owners could be partly due to the natural course of the disease. Nevertheless, the results indicated that the long-term effect of hyposensitization in canine atopy will be reduced by premature discontinuation of treatment in the maintenance period. The discontinuation of treatment could be a reflection of the treatment becoming less effective, owing to the development of new hypersensitivities or to a reduction in the placebo effect that may occur in `new' treatments. However, poor client education and follow-up seem to be important reasons for both non-compliance and discontinuation of the treatment in the maintenance period.     

An explorative study comparing skin surface lipids in the West Highland white terrier dog with and without atopic dermatitis

BackgroundThe skin barrier is important in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis and stratum corneum lipids have a critical role. Skin surface lipids have been largely overlooked but also contribute to barrier function. An untargeted approach was used to compare the skin surface lipids from atopic and non-atopic West Highland White terrier dogs (WHWT).ObjectivesThe primary hypothesis was that a difference in the lipidome would exist. The secondary hypothesis was that affected and unaffected skin lipids would differ.Animals and methodsThis prospective, cross-sectional, case-controlled study included thirty-nine privately owned WHWTs. Dogs were assigned to one of four disease status groups based on strict criteria. Samples for lipid analysis were collected from the skin surface of unaffected and affected sites. Lipid analysis was by untargeted liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and utilised lipid identification software packages. Principle component analysis (PCA) and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) statistical methods analysed the association between the relative lipid abundance and disease status and affected and unaffected skin.ResultsSamples for lipid analysis found 421 lipid soluble features of which ten lipids were positively identified. Statistical analysis could not distinguish between non-atopic and atopic dogs but did reveal a statistically significant difference in the lipid profiles from affected and non-affected skin irrespective of disease status.ConclusionsA large array of unidentified lipids from the skin surface were found with a difference between affected and unaffected skin unrelated to disease status. Investigation into the lipidome of the skin surface is an emerging area of research with clinical and therapeutic applications.     

Determination of threshold concentrations of allergens and evaluation of two different histamine concentrations in canine intradermal testing

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal histamine concentration and allergen threshold concentrations for canine intradermal testing. Thirty healthy dogs were tested using two different concentrations of histamine and four different concentrations of each allergen. The optimal histamine concentration was determined to be 1:10 000 w/v. The threshold concentration was at least 1750 PNU/mL for all tested grasses, weeds, trees, moulds and insects, except for fleas which was as least 1:500 w/v. For Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, the optimal threshold concentration was 250 PNU/mL, whereas for Dermatophagoides farinae and Tyrophagus putrescentiae, it was 100 PNU/mL. Threshold concentration for all epidermals except human dander was at least 1250 PNU/mL. The optimal threshold concentration for human dander was 300 PNU/mL. Our results suggest that the currently used 1:100 000 w/v concentration of histamine and the 1000 PNU/mL concentration for most grasses, weeds, trees, moulds, epidermals and insects may not be appropriate for canine intradermal testing.     

Double‐blinded cross‐over study on the efficacy of pentoxifylline for canine atopy

The pathogenesis of canine atopy has not been established completely. Recent studies have shown that tumour necrosis factor alpha and Interleukin‐6 play a role in allergic reactions in humans and mice. Pentoxifylline (PTX) suppresses synthesis of these cytokines and may be a useful therapy for modulating the symptoms of canine atopy. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of PTX (10mg kg^?1 twice daily for 4 weeks) on clinical signs (erythema and pruritus) and intradermal skin test reactivity in atopic dogs (n = 10). The study was a double‐blinded, placebo controlled, crossover clinical trial with a washout period of 2 weeks between treatments. Clinical signs were evaluated and scored by the investigator and owners. During PTX treatment, scores of pruritus and erythema decreased significantly. PTX did not affect intradermal skin test reactivity to house dust mite at 15 min (allergen of reference for this study).     

Contact Dermatitis in Dogs and Cats: Pathogenesis,Histopathology, Experimental Induction and Case Reports*

Résumé— Une revue de la physiopathologie et de Thistopathologie des dermites de contact par allergie et irritation est présentée. Le rôle des lymphocytes, des cellules de Langerhans, des basophiles et des éosinophiles est discuté. Des résultates précédents non-publiés de dermites de contact expérimentales chez le chien sont présentées. Les résumés des cas cliniques de dermites de contact spontannées chez le chien et le chat présentées lors du 9e congrès de l'AAVD sont inclus. Les cas cliniques sont comparés aux cas expérimentaux et aux aspects histopathologiques décrits chez 1'homme. Des lésions avec un infiltrat riche en éosinophiles ont été retrouvées dans trois cas; une discussion sur la possibilité d'existence d'IgE à la surface des cellules de Langerhans entrainant à la fois une réponse de type I et de type IV chez ces patients est développée. [Walder, E. J., Conroy, J. D. Contact dermatitis in dogs and cats: pathogenesis, histopathology, experimental induction and case reports (Dermite de contact chez le chien et le chat: pathogénie, histopathologie, induction expérimentale et cas cliniques). Resumen— Se revisa la fisiopatología e histopatología de la dermatitis por contacto alérgica y por irritación en la especie humana y en los animales. Se discute el papel de los linfocitos, las células de Langerhans, los basófilos y los eosinófilos. Se presentan datos sobre la dermatitis por contacto alérgica y por irritación en el perro no descritos hasta la fecha. Se incluyen los resumenes de los casos clinicos presentados en las das jornadas de la Academia Americana de Dermatología Veterinaria. Se comparan los casos clinicos con los hallazgos expérimentales en el perro y con las caracteristícas histopatológicas recientemente descritas en la especie humana. En tres casos se descubrieron vesiculo-pústulas con abundantes eosinófilos; se especula con la posibilidad de que células de Langerhens cargadas con IgE induzcan reacciones mixtas de hipersensibilidad de tipo I y IV (“atopia por contacto”). [Walder, E. J., Conroy, J. D. Contact dermatitis in dogs and cats: pathogenesis, histopathology, experimental induction and case reports (Dermatitis por contacto en el perro y en el gato: patogénesis, histopatología, reproducción experimental y casos clínicos). Zusammenfassung— Es erfolgt eine übersicht über Pathophysiologie und Histopothologie der irritativen und allergischen Kontakdermatitis das Mensch und Tier. Es werden die Rollen der Lymphozyton, Langerhans Zellen, basne und eosinophilen Granulozyten diskutiert. Es werden unveröffentlichte Daten über experimentelle irritative und allergische Kontaktdermatitis bei Hunden vorgestellt. Die Zusammenfassungen von Fallstudien spontaner Kontaktdermatitis bei Hund und Katze, veröffentlicht beim 9. Jahrestreffen der American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology werden miteingeschlossen. Die Fallstudien werden mit den experimentellen Ergebnissen beim Hund und mit den klassischen und kürzlich beschriebenen histopatholo-gischen Bildern beim Menschen verglichen. In drei Fällen wurden vesikulopustulöse Veränderungen, reich an ensinophilen Granulozyten, festgestellt; es werden Mutmaßungen über die Möglichkeit von IgE-tregenden Langerhans-Zellen angstellt, die überlappende Typ I- und Typ IV-Reaktionen (“Kontaktatopie”) bei diesen Patienten induzieren. [Contact dermatitis in dogs and cats: pathognesis, histopathology, experimental induction, and case reports (Kontaktdermatitis bei Hund und Katze: Pathogenese, Histopathologie, experimentelle Induktion und Fallstudien). Abstract— The pathophysiology and histopathology of irritant and allergic contact dermatitis in man and animals are reviewed. The roles of lymphocytes, Langerhans cells, basophils and eosinophils are discussed. Previously unreported data on experimental irritant and allergic contact dermatitis in dogs are presented. The abstracts of case reports of spontaneous contact dermatitis in dogs and cats presented at the Ninth Annual American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology Meeting are included. The case reports are compared to the experimental findings in dogs and to classical and recently-described histopathologic features in humans. Eosinophil-rich, vesiculopustular lesions were found in three cases; speculation is made regarding the possibility of lgE-bearing Langerhans cells inducing overlap Type I and Type IV hypersensitivity reactions (“contact atopy”) in these patients.     

The clinical effect of environmental control of house dust mites in 60 house dust mite-sensitive dogs

Abstract   The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of benzyl benzoate, an acaricide for the control of house dust mites, in 60 house dust mite-sensitive dogs. All dogs showed positive reactions on intradermal skin testing for house dust mites ( Dermatophagoides farinae , Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ) alone, or house dust mites with storage mites ( Acarus siro , Tyrophagus putrescentiae , Glycophagus domesticus ). House dust samples from the owners' houses were collected and sent to the clinic, where the authors performed a test (Acarex® test) to semiquantify the amount of guanine, a house dust mite product. Treatment with benzyl benzoate was repeated until the house dust samples were negative for house dust mite guanine. After treatment, 29 out of 60 house dust mite-sensitive dogs (48%) showed no skin lesions or pruritus. Moderate results were achieved in 22 dogs (36%), with reduced pruritus and minimal skin lesions, but still requiring medication. In 13 dogs, this involved regular treatment (3–4 times a year) with antibiotics and antiyeast medication, and in eight dogs, immunotherapy was used. One dog was controlled with essential fatty acids as monotherapy and one dog was controlled with immunotherapy and essential fatty acids. In the remaining nine dogs (15%), the pruritus remained the same, and these dogs were controlled with oral corticosteroids. These results indicate that house dust mite elimination is a useful tool in the management of house dust mite-sensitive dogs.     

A randomized, controlled study to evaluate the steroid sparing effect of essential fatty acid supplementation in the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis

A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled multicentre clinical trial of 12 weeks' duration was undertaken in 60 dogs with atopic dermatitis to evaluate the steroid sparing effect of essential fatty acid supplementation. The dogs were randomly assigned to receive either a combination of borage seed oil and fish oil or a placebo, in addition to prednisolone tablets. All dogs received a standardized basal diet. Owners of the dogs recorded pruritus daily using a 10 cm visual analog scale and the dosage of prednisolone was established based on the pruritus score, according to written instructions. The dosage of prednisolone and the use of any concurrent treatment (shampoo and/or ear-cleanser) were recorded by the owner on a daily basis. The investigators graded the skin lesions at days 0, 42 and 84. The use of prednisolone during the test period was lower in the active group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.32). The test period was sequentially divided into 43-84, 50-84, 57-84, 64-84, 71-84 and 78-84 days. On day 64, the difference between the active group and the placebo group reached statistical significance (P = 0.04) with an increasing difference towards the end of the study. A statistically significant reduction in the pruritus scores and the total clinical scores from day 0 to day 84 was apparent in both groups (P < 0.0001). At the end of the study, both the pruritus score and the total clinical score were lower in the active group. Our findings indicate a steroid sparing effect of essential fatty acid supplementation in canine atopic dermatitis and, furthermore, that there is a time lag before the effect is attained.