Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with itchy skin disease also had weak infection-fighting cells
By Thomsen, M K et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Scandinavica·1991·Department of Pharmacology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Impairment of neutrophil functions in a dog with an eosinophilic dermatosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with eosinophilic dermatosis, which caused itchy and painful skin lesions on its body, was brought in for treatment. Despite no signs of parasites, fungi, or bacteria initially, the dog later developed bacterial conjunctivitis and skin infections. Tests showed that the dog's immune cells (neutrophils) were not responding properly to infections, which may have been due to factors from other immune cells or prolonged activation. This impairment in immune function could explain why the dog was more susceptible to infections. Treatment focused on managing the skin condition and addressing the infections.
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Abstract
An eosinophilic dermatosis was diagnosed in a dog with a multifocal distribution of pruritic, pustular and erosive lesions on the trunk. Ectoparasites, fungi and bacteria were not detected in the skin of the dog. At a subsequent admission to the university clinic, bacterial conjunctivitis and superficial pyoderma had developed. At a time when the dog received no medical therapy, evaluation of phagocytosis and chemotactic migration towards a variety of chemotactic factors revealed a general suppression of patient neutrophil responsiveness, as compared to a control dog. Viability of the patient's neutrophils was normal. It was proposed that deactivation of neutrophil functions occurred following exposure to suppressive factors from mast cells, or as a consequence of surface receptor down-regulation due to prolonged cell activation by as yet unknown stimulants. The observed susceptibility to infections in the dog suffering from a primary, sterile eosinophilic dermatosis may be related to impaired host defence against opportunistic microorganisms.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1818511/