Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High allergen-specific IgE found in nonatopic West Highland white
By Roque, Joana B et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2011·School of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: High allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E levels in nonatopic West Highland white terriers.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of nonatopic West Highland White Terriers, all over 5 years old and showing no signs of allergies, had high levels of specific IgE antibodies in their blood when tested for environmental allergens. This was surprising because these dogs did not have atopic dermatitis (a common skin allergy in dogs). In fact, most of the nonatopic dogs reacted positively to many allergens, similar to those typically associated with allergic reactions in dogs. The findings suggest that high IgE levels can occur even in dogs without allergy symptoms, but it's unclear what this means for their health or if it offers any protection against allergies.
People also search for: West Highland White Terrier allergies · dog skin problems · nonatopic dermatitis in dogs · high IgE levels in dogs
Abstract
Human and canine atopic dermatitis (AD) share an association with IgE specific to environmental allergens, but few studies have evaluated serum allergen-specific IgE in nonatopic dogs. This study compared serum allergen-specific IgE levels in 30 atopic and 18 nonatopic West Highland white terriers. Atopic dermatitis was confirmed using standard criteria. Nonatopic dogs were over 5 years of age and had no clinical signs or history of AD. Serum allergen-specific IgE levels were measured with Allercept(®) IgE ELISAs using a 48-allergen Australian panel. Positive reactions were defined as ≥150 ELISA absorbance units. Intradermal tests were performed in 16 atopic dogs, either at the time of or at various times prior to serum collection. In atopic dogs, the most common positive ELISA and intradermal test results were to Dermatophagoides farinae (11 of 30 dogs), but there were no statistically significant correlations between results from the two methods for any allergen. In nonatopic dogs, multiple high-positive ELISA reactions were reported to 45 of 48 allergens, most commonly D. farinae and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (17 of 18 dogs each). Positive ELISA results in nonatopic dogs were statistically significantly higher than those in atopic dogs for 44 of 48 allergens, including two allergens (D. farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) commonly regarded as significant in canine AD. In conclusion, positive allergen-specific IgE ELISAs were not specific for canine AD, and high allergen-specific IgE levels were seen in nonatopic dogs. The clinical significance of this and whether it characterizes a protective phenotype is unclear.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21265887/