Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Early probiotics reduce allergy signs in dogs with atopic dermatitis
By Marsella, Rosanna et al.·Published in Veterinary immunology and immunopathology·2012·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Early exposure to probiotics in a canine model of atopic dermatitis has long-term clinical and immunological effects.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of puppies with atopic dermatitis (a skin allergy) were given a probiotic called Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG during their early months of life to see if it would help reduce their allergy symptoms later on. Three years later, these dogs showed fewer allergy symptoms when exposed to common allergens like ragweed and dust mites compared to those who didn't receive the probiotic. The puppies that had the probiotic also had a better immune response, suggesting that early probiotic exposure can have lasting benefits for dogs with skin allergies.
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Abstract
Probiotics modulate the immune response and may have protective effects against atopic dermatitis (AD). Clinical trials using dogs with spontaneous disease are limited by confounding factors such as different diets, environments and sensitizations while a more controlled evaluation is possible using experimental models. A validated model of canine AD showed that early exposure to Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) significantly decreases allergen-specific IgE and partially prevents AD in the first 6 months of life. This study is a follow-up three years after discontinuation of LGG. Clinical signs were evaluated after allergen challenge with ragweed, timothy, Dermatophagoides farinae. Allergen-specific IgE, IL-10 and TGF-β were measured on the 1st day of challenge, before allergen exposure. Normal dogs were included as controls. Analyses included seven dogs in the non-probiotic and nine in the probiotic litter. For clinical scores, a 2-Group × 9-Time Analysis of Variance showed significant effects of group (p=0.0003, probiotic<controls), time (p<0.0001) and group × time interaction (p<0.0001). IL-10 for all allergens was significantly higher in the control group than probiotics-exposed dogs. Allergen-specific IgE and TGF-β did not differ between litters. Early exposure to probiotics has long-term clinical and immunological effects in this model and larger studies using dogs with spontaneous disease are needed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22436376/