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B Background b - Canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a common allergic skin disease that is known to affect individuals early in life; the natural history of its initial development has not been documented. Rhinitis was observed in six dogs with AD (13%) and two without (5%), whereas conjunctivitis was seen in 12 affected dogs (26%) and in 10 nonatopic dogs (23%); these proportions were not significantly different between the two groups. The proportion of dogs treated with systemic anti-allergy drugs largely depended on the severity of the disease (Table); it varied from 20% in dogs with mild AD to 100% of severely affected dogs. In fact, it is now considered that food allergy and AD are not entirely distinct entities, but that food allergens may trigger cAD flares in some dogs.[18] In this regard, it was noted that diarrhoea often was observed very early in puppies with cAD and sometimes before any skin changes. [Extracted from the article]

B Background - b Regulatory T (Treg) cells are involved in homeostasis of immune regulation and suppression of inflammation and T-cell polarisation. The levels of Helios SP + sp Treg cells in our study were very similar to those reported in mice and people.11 A previous study in healthy dogs showed that only 50% of Treg cells expressed the Helios marker,42 very likely as a consequence of different study methodology. Adaptive or peripherally induced CD4 SP + sp type 1 regulatory T cells (T SB R sb 1) represent the second subset of Treg cells, and are defined by the expression of interleukin (IL)-10 and other cell markers (e.g. FOXP3 may be expressed only transiently).6,7 At the time of this investigation, the T SB R sb 1 were not yet defined in veterinary allergology. In addition, the mild yet significant longitudinal reduction in the Helios SP + sp Treg cell population in our study dogs could be explained by the enhanced generation of peripherally induced Treg cells in the adult dogs. [Extracted from the article]

Background: There is accumulating evidence in studies of allergic diseases in humans and dogs that environmental experiences during the first months of life can influence the development of allergic disease. No prospective study has evaluated this in veterinary medicine. Hypothesis/Objectives: To assess early‐life risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) and estimate its heritability. Animals: A West Highland white terrier birth cohort (n = 107) followed up to three years of age recording the development of cAD. Methods and materials: The effect of environmental factors [house dust mites (HDM), hygiene, feeding, lifestyle] and early‐life determinants [breeder, mode of delivery, birth season, sex, litter size, early‐life immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels] were assessed, using Stata SE 15.1 statistical analysis. Heritabilities were estimated using the R program packages MCMCglmm and QGglmm. Results: Maternal allergic status [P = 0.013, odds ratio (OR 3.3)], male sex (P = 0.06), mode of delivery (P = 0.12), breeder (P = 0.06), presence of HDM (P = 0.11) and environmental hygiene level (P = 0.15) were identified as possible influence factors by bivariate analyses. In the multivariate analysis the male sex was significantly associated with the development of cAD in the offspring (P = 0.03, OR 2.4). The heritabilities on the observed scale were 0.31 (direct), 0.04 (maternal genetic effects) and 0.03 (maternal permanent environmental effects). Conclusion and clinical importance: These results suggest that several environmental factors could influence the development of cAD but clearly demonstrate the genetic influence of the individual and the dam. Further studies are needed to identify specific environmental factors, which could be potential targets for primary disease intervention. Background – There is accumulating evidence in studies of allergic diseases in humans and dogs that environmental experiences during the first months of life can influence the development of allergic disease. No prospective study has evaluated this in veterinary medicine. Hypothesis/Objectives – To assess early‐life risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) and estimate its heritability. Conclusion and clinical importance – These results suggest that several environmental factors could influence the development of cAD but clearly demonstrate the genetic influence of the individual and the dam. Further studies are needed to identify specific environmental factors, which could be potential targets for primary disease intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]