Parental allergic status influences the risk of developing allergic sensitization and an asthmatic-like phenotype in canine offspring.

Increasing evidence suggests that parental allergic status, especially that of the mother, may play a unique and important role in influencing the development of fetal infant immune responses to inhaled allergens, independently of genetic predisposition. We have developed an experimental model in dogs where the offspring from allergic parents, when exposed to inhaled allergen, develop allergic sensitization and an asthmatic phenotype, whereas the offspring from non-allergic parents do not. Offspring from ragweed-sensitized (two litters, n = 10) or non-sensitized (two litters, n = 11) Beagle dogs were exposed repeatedly, by inhalation, to ragweed or filtered air (negative control) beginning within 1 week after birth.

A model of allergic nasal congestion in dogs sensitized to ragweed.

Background: Acoustic rhinometry is a noninvasive method that uses sound waves to measure dimensions of the nasal cavity.

Methods: In this study, nasal patency was measured by acoustic rhinometry in allergic Beagle dogs sensitized to ragweed allergen. Ragweed (0.

Effect of inhaled ultrafine carbon particles on the allergic airway response in ragweed-sensitized dogs.

Episodic increases in air pollution have been associated with the exacerbation of asthma symptoms. Ultrafine particles are a component of air pollution and may be involved in causing the adverse health effects associated with high air pollution. We evaluated the effects of ultrafine particle inhalation on immune and airway responses in a beagle dog model of allergic asthma.

Cigarette smoke-induced airway hyperresponsiveness is not dependent on elevated immunoglobulin and eosinophilic inflammation in a mouse model of allergic airway disease.

Epidemiologic studies suggest that children raised in homes of cigarette smokers have a higher incidence of asthma than children who are raised in homes of nonsmokers. We sought to develop an experimental model to understand the mechanisms involved. Female BALB/c mice were paired with male DO11.

Local T-cell activation after segmental allergen challenge in the lungs of allergic dogs.

Dogs with immunoglobulin E (IgE) allergy for ragweed that are sensitized by intrapulmonary exposure to ragweed can be used to study the pulmonary immune response that is important in allergic asthma. Using this model, we tested the hypothesis that T lymphocytes are activated locally in the airways shortly after allergen exposure of the lungs. The airways of six allergic dogs and three non-allergic dogs were exposed to ragweed by segmental allergen challenge (SAC).