Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with lifelong blistering skin disease called junctional
By Nagata, M et al.·Published in The British journal of dermatology·1997·Nihon University, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Non-lethal junctional epidermolysis bullosa in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old female mongrel dog had been suffering from skin problems since birth, including painful erosions, thinning skin, and hair loss on her face, trunk, and legs, along with brittle nails. After examining her skin under a microscope, veterinarians found blisters and confirmed a diagnosis of a non-lethal form of junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), a condition that affects skin integrity. This case is significant as it is the first confirmed instance of non-lethal JEB in dogs and may help in future gene therapy research. The dog’s condition is manageable, but ongoing care will be necessary to address her skin issues.
People also search for: dog skin problems · junctional epidermolysis bullosa in dogs · dog hair loss treatment
Abstract
We report a 4-year-old female mongrel dog with a history since birth of erosions and atrophic skin, with pigmentation and alopecia on the face, trunk and extremities, together with dystrophic nails. Light microscopy revealed subepidermal blisters with minimal inflammation and electron microscopy confirmed that the ultrastructural site of separation site was at the lamina lucida. Indirect immunofluorescence of the dog's skin detected the positive expression of laminin 5, BPAG2, integrin-alpha 6 and type VII collagen. These clinical, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical features suggested that the dog had a non-lethal subtype of junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB). This is the first confirmed case of non-lethal JEB in a dog and presents a possible candidate for an animal model of gene therapy. Further study should provide important information of the phenotype, pathophysiology and prognosis of non-lethal JEB in humans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9349347/