Abstract
A skin test survey was carried out in Icelandic horses in Norway and Iceland using extracts of Culicoides spp. as antigen. Eleven horses with recurrent seasonal dermatitis reacted with an immediate hypersensitivity response to intradermal challenge with antigen. All except one of thirty-three clinically normal horses in Norway showed a negative response in skin tests. These findings indicate that Culicoides spp. may be the major cause of the disease in Norway. Only one of the 110 horses tested in Iceland showed any skin test reaction (weak), demonstrating that the horses were not sensitized to Culicoides allergen. The disease has never been reported in Iceland.
Keywords: allergic dermatitis, sweet itch, skin test reaction.
Sammendrag
Intracutan testing av islandshester i Norge og på Island ble utført med ekstrakt fra Culicoides spp. som antigen. Elleve norske hester med sommer-eksem (SE) reagerte med en ”straks-allergisk” reaksjon på intrakutan inokulasjon med antigen, mens trettito af trettitre hester uten SE ikke reagerte. Dette indikerer at Culicoides spp. allergen er hovedårsaken til sykdommen også i Norge. Bare en av hundre og ti hester på Island reagerte, og responsen var svak. Dette viser at hester på Island ikke er sensitert med Culicoides antigen. Sykdommen har aldri vært rapportert på Island.
Full Text
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Acknowledgments
Thanks are due to Miss Bente Becker Johansen for excellent technical assistance. The study was supported by a grant from the Agricultural Research Council of Norway.
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