Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparing IgE and skin tests for dust mite allergy in dogs
By Popiel, J & Cekiera, A·Published in Polish journal of veterinary sciences·2015·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Comparison of IgE test results with intradermal skin tests for dust mites and storage mites in atopic dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with atopic dermatitis (a common skin allergy) underwent two different allergy tests to identify dust and storage mites as potential triggers. The tests included an IgE screening test and an intradermal skin test. While the IgE test showed high sensitivity (meaning it correctly identified many allergic reactions), it had low specificity, meaning it also produced many false positives. The intradermal skin test remained the most reliable method for accurately diagnosing allergies in these dogs. This suggests that pet owners should consider the intradermal test for the best results when dealing with allergies in their dogs.
People also search for: dog skin allergy tests · atopic dermatitis treatment in dogs · dust mite allergy in dogs
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis is one of the most frequent allergic diseases in dogs. There are many methods of treating its symptoms but specific immunotherapy has recently gained high popularity. Before the application of specific immunotherapy, it is necessary to identify the allergens provoking the reaction of hypersensitivity in the selected animal. This raises a question about the method of allergen identification the medical practitioner decides to use in order to obtain the most credible result. The authors of the present study decided to compare the results of intradermal allergic tests and the results of an IgE screening test carried out using the FcɛRIα receptor method. The aim of the study was to compare the results of both tests directed to dust and storage mites. The study proves that in case of the IgE screening tests (for a group of allergens), the sensitivity is quite high (85 to 90.69%) but the specificity of these tests is insufficient (25 to 50%). In case of antibodies for the selected mites the sensitivity and specificity was too low (65.1 to 89.4% for the sensitivity, with only 14.2 to 33.3% for the specificity). Only in case of D. petronyssinus the results were higher with the sensitivity calculated at 65.1% and the specificity at 80%. The IgE screening test carried out using the FcɛRIα receptor method is reliable only in case of screening test for mites and the intradermal allergic test remains the gold standard for allergy testing.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26172185/