Effects of routine prophylactic vaccination or administration of aluminum adjuvant alone on allergen-specific serum IgE and IgG responses in allergic dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the acute corn-specific serum IgE and IgG, total serum IgE, and clinical responses to s.c. administration of prophylactic vaccines and aluminum adjuvant in corn-allergic dogs. ANIMALS: 20 allergic and 8 nonallergic dogs. PROCEDURE: 17 corn-allergic dogs were vaccinated. Eight clinically normal dogs also were vaccinated as a control group. Serum corn-specific IgE, corn-specific IgG, and total IgE concentrations were measured in each dog before vaccination and 1 and 3 weeks after vaccination by use of an ELISA. The corn-allergic dogs also had serum immunoglobulin concentrations measured at 8 and 9 weeks after vaccination. Twenty allergic dogs received a s.c. injection of aluminum adjuvant, and serum immunoglobulin concentrations were measured in each dog 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 weeks after injection. The allergic dogs were examined during the 8 weeks after aluminum administration for clinical signs of allergic disease. RESULTS: The allergic dogs had significant increases in serum corn-specific IgE and IgG concentrations 1 and 3 weeks after vaccination but not 8 or 9 weeks after vaccination. Control dogs did not have a significant change in serum immunoglobulin concentrations after vaccination. After injection of aluminum adjuvant, the allergic dogs did not have a significant change in serum immunoglobulin concentrations or clinical signs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Allergen-specific IgE and IgG concentrations increase after prophylactic vaccination in allergic dogs but not in clinically normal dogs. Prophylactic vaccination of dogs with food allergies may affect results of serologic allergen-specific immunoglobulin testing performed within 8 weeks after vaccination.

Clinicopathological abnormalities and treatment response in 24 dogs seroreactive to Bartonella vinsonii (berkhoffii) antigens.

Bartonella vinsonii (B. vinsonii) subspecies berkhoffii is a recently recognized cause of endocarditis, myocarditis, and granulomatous disease in dogs. In an effort to elucidate other potential disease manifestations, the case records of 24 dogs that were seroreactive to B. vinsonii (berkhoffii) antigens were studied retrospectively. Diagnoses included immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, neutrophilic or granulomatous meningoencephalitis, neutrophilic polyarthritis, cutaneous vasculitis, and uveitis. Repeated B. vinsonii (berkhoffii) antibody titers became negative after treatment. This study indicates that a diverse spectrum of disease manifestations and clinicopathological abnormalities can be detected in dogs that are seroreactive to B. vinsonii (berkhoffii) antigens.

A randomized controlled trial of misoprostol monotherapy for canine atopic dermatitis: effects on dermal cellularity and cutaneous tumour necrosis factor-alpha.

In this blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial, 20 dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD) were given placebo (8 dogs) or misoprostol (12 dogs) at 5 micro g kg-1, orally, three times daily for 3 weeks. Administration of the active drug, but not of placebo, led to a significant decrease in lesional and pruritus scores. The median reduction from baseline of both scores was approximately 30%. Misoprostol therapy did not lead to decreases of dermal cell counts or skin tumour necrosis factor (TNF)alpha mRNA copy numbers that were significantly different from those of placebo. Skin TNFalpha protein production, assessed using indirect immunofluorescence, decreased or remained unchanged in dogs receiving misoprostol. In contrast, post treatment TNFalpha fluorescence scores were higher in all but two dogs given placebo. The changes from baseline of TNFalpha fluorescence scores did not correlate significantly with those of lesional or pruritus indices. These observations confirm the modest efficacy of misoprostol for treatment of canine AD and suggest that its mild anti-allergic effects are not associated with either inhibition of inflammatory cell emigration or TNFalpha production.

Résumé Dans cette étude randomisée en aveugle, 20 chiens présentant une dermatite atopique ont reçu un placebo (8 chiens) ou du misoprostol (12 chiens) à la posologie de 5 µg kg−1 , par voie orale, trois fois par jour pendant 3 semaines. L'administration du misoprostol mais pas du placebo a permis une diminution significative des scores de prurit et lésionnels. La réduction moyenne des 2 scores était d'environ 30%. Le misoprostol n'a pas diminué le nombre de cellules dans le derme ou le nombre de copies d'ARNm du TNF qui étaient significativement différentes du placebo. La production de TNF, determinée par immunofluorescence indirecte a diminué ou n'a pas évolué chez les chiens recevant le misoprostol. Au contraire, les scores de fluorescence pour le TNF étaient plus élevés chez tous les chiens recevant le placebo sauf deux. Les modifications des scores de fluorescence du TNF nétaient pas corrélées aux scores de prurit ou lésionnel. Ces observations confirment l'efficacité modeste du misoprostol pour le traitement de la dermatite atopique canine et suggèrent que ses effets antiallergiques modérés ne sont pas associés à une inhibition de la migration des cellules inflammatoires ou de la production de TNF.

Resumen En este ensayo ciego, al azar y controlado con placebo, a veinte perros con DA se les administró oralmente placebo (8 perros) o misoprostol (12 perros) a una dosis de 5 µg kg−1 tres veces al día durante tres semanas. La administración de la droga activa, pero no la del placebo, dio lugar a una disminución del índice de lesiones y prurito. La reducción media en ambos índices fue de aproximadamente el 30%. La terapia de misoprostol no produjo una disminución del recuento de células dérmicas o del número de copias del ARNm del FNT-α (TNFα), los cuales eran significativamente diferentes del grupo con placebo. La producción de la proteína FNTα, determinada por un método indirecto de immunofluorescencia, disminuyó o permaneció igual en perros que recibieron misoprostol. En cambio, el nivel de fluorescencia del FNTα fue más elevado en el postratamiento en todos los perros, con excepción de dos de ellos en el grupo con placebo. Los cambios en el nivel de fluorescencia, con respecto a la línea basal, no se correlacionaron significativamente con los índices de lesión o prurito. Estas observaciones confirman la modesta eficacia del misoprostol para el tratamiento de las DA caninas y sugiere que sus efectos mínimos antialérgicos no están asociados con la inhibición de la emigración de células inflamatorias o la producción del FNTα.