El. Willis et al., INTRADERMAL REACTIVITY TO VARIOUS INSECT AND ARACHNID ALLERGENS AMONGDOGS FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED-STATES, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 209(8), 1996, pp. 1431
Objective-To compare cutaneous reactivity to insect and arachnid aller
gens in clinically normal (control) and allergic dogs in the southeast
ern United States. Design-Prospective, controlled study. Animals-26 cl
inically normal dogs and 82 allergic dogs from the southeastern United
States. Procedure-Intradermal skin testing with various dilutions of
13 insect and arachnid allergens was performed on control dogs to esta
blish skin threshold concentrations (ie, concentrations to which < 25%
of the dogs had positive reactions). These established threshold conc
entrations were then used to test allergic dogs for reactivity. Preval
ence of single and multiple insect and arachnid reactions were determi
ned. Results-Flea allergen was the only allergen that caused a signifi
cantly higher prevalence of positive reactions in allergic dogs than i
n control dogs. Clinical Implications-Flea hypersensitivity is the mos
t important arthropod hypersensitivity in dogs. The importance of reac
tivity to insect and arachnid allergens other than flea allergen can b
e determined only when prevalence of positive reactivity has been dete
rmined in an appropriate regional control group of dogs.