Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mast cells and eosinophils in cats with allergic skin disease
By Roosje, P J et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2004·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Mast cells and eosinophils in feline allergic dermatitis: a qualitative and quantitative analysis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with allergic dermatitis showed higher levels of certain immune cells called mast cells and eosinophils in their skin compared to healthy cats. The mast cells were mostly found in the upper skin layers, while eosinophils were located deeper. This study found that the number of these cells varied widely among allergic cats, but they were significantly more numerous than in healthy cats. These findings suggest that both mast cells and eosinophils play important roles in allergic skin reactions in cats.
People also search for: cat skin problems · allergic dermatitis in cats · treatment for cat allergies · why is my cat itching · eosinophils in cat skin
Abstract
Mast cells (MCs) and eosinophils are prominent in the perivascular infiltrate of cats with allergic dermatitis. In the skin of allergic cats MCs were mainly observed diffusely in the superficial dermis, while eosinophils were found mainly in the deep dermis in a perivascular pattern. MC counts were significantly higher in cats with allergic dermatitis (P < 0.05) than in healthy control cats, but the number varied widely. Moreover, the numbers of eosinophils in the skin of allergic and control cats differed significantly (P < 0.05) none being found in the latter. There was no significant correlation between numbers of mast cells and eosinophils in the same biopsy sample. In the allergic cats, a significantly lower number of MCs was detected by staining for tryptase than by staining for chymase or by Astra blue staining. Additionally, the chymase: tryptase ratio in healthy cats was reversed in cats with allergic dermatitis. These changes were observed in lesional and nonlesional skin of cats with allergic dermatitis. The findings indicate a generalized effect on MCs in allergic dermatitis. In addition, eosinophils are an important indicator of allergic dermatitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15144800/