Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rush immunotherapy with CpG helps cats with allergic asthma
By Reinero, Carol R et al.·Published in Veterinary immunology and immunopathology·2008·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Adjuvanted rush immunotherapy using CpG oligodeoxynucleotides in experimental feline allergic asthma.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 12 cats with asthma caused by Bermuda grass were treated with a new immunotherapy that included a substance called CpG oligodeoxynucleotides to help reduce their allergic reactions. Half of the cats received the new treatment, while the other half initially got a placebo before switching to the active treatment. After two months, the cats that received the new therapy showed significantly lower levels of eosinophils, which are white blood cells involved in allergic reactions, indicating less inflammation in their airways. By the end of the study, 8 out of 12 cats had eosinophil levels within the normal range for healthy cats, suggesting that this treatment could be effective for managing feline asthma.
People also search for: cat asthma treatment · allergic asthma in cats · feline immunotherapy for asthma
Abstract
Allergic asthma is driven by relative overexpression of Th2 cell-derived cytokines in response to aeroallergens. In independent studies, both allergen-specific rush immunotherapy (RIT) and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) showed promise in blunting eosinophilic inflammation in a model of feline allergic asthma. We hypothesized that RIT using allergen and CpG ODN would work synergistically to dampen the asthmatic phenotype in experimentally asthmatic cats. Twelve cats with asthma induced using Bermuda grass allergen (BGA) were studied. Of these, six were administered adjuvanted BGA RIT using CpG ODN #2142; six were administered placebo (saline) RIT and later crossed over to adjuvanted RIT. Over 2 days, subcutaneous CpG ODN (0.5ng/kg) with BGA (increasing doses every 2h from 20 to 200microg) was administered. Adverse events were recorded and compared with historical controls. Percentage of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), % peripheral CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (Tregs), lymphocyte proliferation in response to ConA, and cytokine concentrations in BALF were measured over 2 months. Group mean BALF % eosinophils for the adjuvanted RIT cats were significantly lower at week 1 and month 1 (p=0.03 for both), and marginally significantly lower at month 2 (p=0.09) compared with placebo RIT cats. By the end of the study, 8/12 treated cats had BALF % eosinophils within the reference range for healthy cats. Adjuvanted RIT, but not placebo RIT, cats had significant decreases in the ConA stimulation index over time (p=0.05). BALF IL-4 concentrations were significantly higher at week 1 in adjuvanted RIT cats compared with baseline and month 2, and also with placebo RIT cats at week 1. No significant differences were detected between treatments or over time for IL-10 or IFN-gamma concentrations in BALF or for %Tregs cells in peripheral blood. Adjuvanted RIT using CpG ODN in experimental feline asthma dampens eosinophilic airway inflammation. Adverse effects associated with adjuvanted RIT were less severe compared with a historical, non-adjuvanted RIT protocol. The exact mechanism(s) by which adjuvanted RIT alters the aberrant allergic immune response were not elucidated in this study.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17981343/