2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines.

These guidelines present a systematic approach to diagnosis, treatment, and management of allergic skin diseases in dogs and cats. The guidelines describe detailed diagnosis and treatment plans for flea allergy, food allergy, and atopy in dogs and for flea allergy, food allergy, and feline atopic skin syndrome in cats. Management of the allergic patient entails a multimodal approach with frequent and ongoing communication with the client.

The feline skin microbiome: interrelationship between health and disease.

Practical Relevance: As with other species, the skin microbiome of cats has been assessed over the past few years utilizing modern technologies. This has resulted in the identification of many more bacterial and fungal organisms compared with what had been recorded historically on the skin in various states of health and disease using culture-based studies. This information is expanding the knowledge of how microbial communities are impacted by various changes in the skin health of cats.

Prevalence of serum immunoglobulin E against cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants in allergic and nonallergic horses, and its impact on polysensitisation in serum allergen tests.

Background: The existence of antibodies against cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCDs) has been studied extensively in humans, and more recently, in dogs and cats. These antibodies can reduce the specificity of in vitro serum allergen tests.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of anti-CCD immunoglobulin (Ig)E in both allergic and nonallergic horses as well as evaluate its potential impact on serum allergen testing.

An ancient haplotype containing antimicrobial peptide gene variants is associated with severe fungal skin disease in Persian cats.

Dermatophytosis, also known as ringworm, is a contagious fungal skin disease affecting humans and animals worldwide. Persian cats exhibit severe forms of the disease more commonly than other breeds of cat, including other long-haired breeds. Certain types of severe dermatophytosis in humans are reportedly caused by monogenic inborn errors of immunity.

ABHD5 frameshift deletion in Golden Retrievers with ichthyosis.

Ichthyoses are hereditary skin disorders characterized by the formation of scales and defects in the outermost layer of the epidermis. In dogs, at least six different breed-specific ichthyoses including a relatively common PNPLA1-related autosomal recessive ichthyosis in Golden Retrievers are known. In this study, we investigated 14 Golden Retrievers with scales that were not homozygous for the mutant PNPLA1 allele suggesting a genetically distinct new form of ichthyosis.

Cytokine expression in feline allergic dermatitis and feline asthma.

Background: The pathogenesis of feline allergic dermatitis (FAD) is unclear, with several differences from allergic dermatitis in dogs and humans.

Hypothesis/objectives: To survey cytokine expression levels in healthy cats and cats affected with allergic dermatitis or asthma.

Animals: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin biopsies from 22 cats with allergic dermatitis and 21 cats without allergic dermatitis were used for cutaneous assays.

Characterization of the cutaneous mycobiota in Persian cats with severe dermatophytosis.

Background: Persian cats are predisposed to chronic and severe dermatophytosis. Alterations to the cutaneous microbiota are one potential contributor to this predisposition.

Objectives: To characterise the cutaneous and environmental fungal microbiota of Persian cats with chronic, severe dermatophytosis, and to compare the fungal microbiota of cats with and without dermatophytosis.

in a central Texas cat: clinical presentation, molecular identification, sandfly vector collection and novel management.

Case Summary: This case report documents the clinical appearance, diagnosis and novel treatment of a central Texas cat with cutaneous leishmaniosis. The cat presented with a linear erosion on the right pinnal margin, an ulcerated exophytic nodule on the right hock and a swelling in the right nostril. Cytological and histopathological findings were consistent with leishmaniosis.

Characterization of staphylococcal communities on healthy and allergic feline skin.

Background: Various Staphylococcus species have been demonstrated to play important roles on the skin, including causing disease and protecting the host from pathogens. Although culture-based studies have isolated various Staphylococcus spp. from feline skin, very little is known regarding the species-level communities on the host.

A case report of total skin photon radiation therapy for cutaneous epitheliotropic lymphoma in a dog.

Background: Total skin electron beam radiation therapy (TSEBT) is an effective treatment for primary diffuse cutaneous lymphomas in humans. While several techniques exist, they all require significant commitment of staff time and resources. In veterinary medicine, canine-specific techniques and strategies have been adapted and delivered but deemed not "realistically" clinically implementable given the time commitment of over 2.

The feline cutaneous and oral microbiota are influenced by breed and environment.

Previous research revealed the feline skin bacterial microbiota to be site-specific and the fungal microbiota to be individual-specific. The effect of other factors, such as genotype and environment, have not yet been studied in cats, but have been shown to be potentially important in shaping the cutaneous microbiota of other animals. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of these factors on the bacterial and fungal microbiota of feline skin and oral cavity.

Cutaneous Hypersensitivity Dermatoses in the Feline Patient: A Review of Allergic Skin Disease in Cats.

Feline allergic skin disease presents a unique set of challenges to the veterinary practitioner. Although there is some similarity to what is seen in the allergic canine patient, cutaneous hypersensitivity dermatoses in cats can manifest with strikingly different clinical signs, treatment options and outcomes, and secondary complications/disease entities. Additionally, less is known about the pathogenesis of feline allergic skin diseases, particularly "feline atopic syndrome" when compared to dogs or people.

The feline skin microbiota: The bacteria inhabiting the skin of healthy and allergic cats.

Background: The skin is inhabited by a multitude of microorganisms. An imbalance of these microorganisms is associated with disease, however, the causal relationship between skin microbiota and disease remains unknown. To describe the cutaneous bacterial microbiota of cats and determine whether bacterial dysbiosis occurs on the skin of allergic cats, the skin surfaces on various regions of 11 healthy cats and 10 allergic cats were sampled.

Characterization of the cutaneous mycobiota in healthy and allergic cats using next generation sequencing.

Background: Next generation sequencing (NGS) studies have demonstrated a diverse skin-associated microbiota and microbial dysbiosis associated with atopic dermatitis in people and in dogs. The skin of cats has yet to be investigated using NGS techniques.

Hypothesis/objectives: We hypothesized that the fungal microbiota of healthy feline skin would be similar to that of dogs, with a predominance of environmental fungi, and that fungal dysbiosis would be present on the skin of allergic cats.

What is living on your dog's skin? Characterization of the canine cutaneous mycobiota and fungal dysbiosis in canine allergic dermatitis.

To characterize the skin-associated fungal microbiota (mycobiota) in dogs, and to evaluate the influence of body site, individual dog or health status on the distribution of fungi, next-generation sequencing was performed targeting the internal transcribed spacer region. A total of 10 dogs with no history of skin disease were sampled at 10 distinct body sites consisting of haired and mucosal skin, and 8 dogs with diagnosed skin allergies were sampled at six body sites commonly affected by allergic disease. Analysis of similarities revealed that body site was not an influencing factor on membership or structure of fungal communities in healthy skin; however, the mucosal sites were significantly reduced in fungal richness.

Medical Management of Cyclosporine-Induced Gingival Overgrowth Using Oral Azithromycin in Six Dogs.

Gingival overgrowth is an uncommon adverse effect of cyclosporine administration in veterinary species. In people, gingival overgrowth is a common complication of cyclosporine administration for immunosuppression, generally following transplant procedures. Azithromycin has been used successfully for managing gingival overgrowth in human transplant patients when cyclosporine administration cannot be reduced or discontinued.

The skin microbiome in healthy and allergic dogs.

Background: Changes in the microbial populations on the skin of animals have traditionally been evaluated using conventional microbiology techniques. The sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes has revealed that the human skin is inhabited by a highly diverse and variable microbiome that had previously not been demonstrated by culture-based methods. The goals of this study were to describe the microbiome inhabiting different areas of the canine skin, and to compare the skin microbiome of healthy and allergic dogs.

Efficacy of eight commercial formulations of lime sulphur on in vitro growth inhibition of Microsporum canis.

Lime sulphur is a common topical treatment for dermatophytosis in animals. Until recently, a single veterinary lime sulphur formulation was available. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of eight lime sulphur products for in vitro growth inhibition of Microsporum canis using the isolated infected spore model.

Serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E in atopic and healthy cats: comparison of a rapid screening immunoassay and complete-panel analysis.

Feline and canine atopic dermatitis are thought to have a similar immunopathogenesis. As with dogs, detection of allergen-specific IgE in cat serum merely supports a diagnosis of feline atopy based on compatible history, clinical signs and elimination of other pruritic dermatoses. In this study, a rapid screening immunoassay (Allercept(®) E-Screen 2nd Generation; Heska AG, Fribourg, Switzerland; ES2G) was compared with a complete-panel serum allergen-specific IgE assay (Allercept(®); Heska AG; CP) in healthy cats with no history of skin disease and in atopic cats.