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      Summer eczema in exported Icelandic horses: influence of environmental and genetic factors

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          Abstract

          A cross sectional study was designed to estimate the prevalence of summer eczema (a chronic, recurrent seasonal dermatitis) in exported Icelandic horses and the influence of environmental and genetic factors on the development of the disease.

          Among 330 horses, which had been exported to Germany, Denmark and Sweden, 114 (34.5%) were found to have clinical signs of summer eczema. The prevalence was highest 2 years after export and the exposure to the biting midges Culicoides spp., was found to be the main risk factor for developing the disease. Genetic influence on the sensitivity for the disease was not established.

          It was concluded that exported Icelandic horses are predisposed for summer dermatitis and the fact that they are not introduced to the antigens of the biting midges early in live, due to it's absence in Iceland, is likely to explain the high prevalence of the disease after export.

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          Most cited references19

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          Selective suppression of IgE antibody responsiveness by maternal influence.

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            Computing Aspects of a Nonlinear Method of Sire Evaluation for Categorical Data

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              Detection of IgG and IgE serum antibodies to Culicoides salivary gland antigens in horses with insect dermal hypersensitivity (sweet itch).

              We postulated that all horses exposed to the bites of Culcoides (midges) would have an antibody response to the antigen secreted in Culcoides saliva, but that IgE antibody would be restricted to allergic individuals. Using immunohistology on sections of fixed Culicoides, we have demonstrated the presence of antibodies in horse serum which recognise Culicoides salivary glands. Antibodies were detected in the serum of horses with insect dermal hypersensitivity and in the serum of normal horses exposed to Culicoides bites. In contrast, no antibodies were detected in serum from native Icelandic ponies which had not been exposed to Culicoides. Anti-salivary gland IgG antibodies were detected in serum from both allergic and healthy horses exposed to Culicoides. IgE antibodies were only detected in horses with signs of insect dermal hypersensitivity, they were not found in serum of healthy controls nor in the serum of horses with a history of hypersensitivity but in remission at the time of sampling. Using western blotting we confirmed the presence of antibodies to Culicoides antigens and demonstrated that individual horses react to different numbers of antigens. This paper demonstrates the ability of serum from allergic horses to detect Culcoides antigens and will enable further studies to isolate and characterise the allergens.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Acta Vet Scand
                Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
                BioMed Central (London )
                0044-605X
                1751-0147
                2006
                26 May 2006
                : 48
                : 1
                : 3
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Icelandic Veterinary Services, Dept Holar, 551 Saudarkrokur, Iceland
                [2 ]Dept Clin Sci, Sect Medicine and Surgery, Box 7018, SLU, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
                [3 ]Valbyvej 42, 3200 Helsinge, Danmark
                [4 ]The Icelandic Farmers Association, Hagatorgi 1, Reykjavík, Iceland
                Article
                1751-0147-48-3
                10.1186/1751-0147-48-3
                1513129
                16987399
                514d6cef-9d90-4bb6-aa4e-b2141d92f3b0
                Copyright © 2006 Björnsdóttir et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 11 April 2006
                : 26 May 2006
                Categories
                Research

                Veterinary medicine
                Veterinary medicine

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