Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spring itching in dogs caused by Japanese cedar pollen allergy
By Masuda, Kenichi et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2002·Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seasonal atopic dermatitis in dogs sensitive to a major allergen of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs developed itchy skin problems every spring due to an allergy to Japanese cedar pollen. Tests confirmed that they were sensitive to a specific protein in the pollen, which caused their symptoms to flare up during the pollination season. The dogs showed higher levels of allergy-related antibodies when exposed to the pollen, indicating a strong reaction. Managing their symptoms during this time may involve allergy medications or treatments recommended by a veterinarian to help alleviate their discomfort.
People also search for: dog itchy skin spring allergies · Japanese cedar pollen allergy in dogs · treatment for dog atopic dermatitis
Abstract
Three dogs were examined because of episodes of recurrent pruritic dermatitis in the spring, the season of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, CJ) pollination in Japan. The dogs were shown to be sensitive to CJ pollen allergen using intradermal testing and antigen-specific IgE measurement. Fluorometric enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) showed increased concentrations of IgE specific to Cry j 1 and a negative result for Cry j 2 in the three dogs. The concentrations of IgE specific to Cry j 1 during the season of CJ pollination were higher than the concentrations found during the off-season in all the dogs, and the variation in the concentrations correlated with the variation in clinical signs. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed apparent proliferative responses to crude CJ pollen antigen and Cry j 1 during CJ pollination season. These findings indicated that Cry j 1 was the major allergen recognized by IgE and lymphocytes and resulted in the development of type I hypersensitivity to CJ pollen allergen in these atopic dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11896972/