The objective of this analysis was to compare the multiplex ImmunoCAP ISAC (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sweden) and the multiplex Alex Allergy Explorer (Macro Array Diagnostics GmbH, Austria) platform on specific IgE to grass pollen (Phl p 1, Phl p 5), tree pollen (Bet v 1), house dust mites (Der p 1, Der p 2) and cat (Fel d 1) allergens in allergic patients. Our findings demonstrate a good correlation of presently used methods to detect serum sIgE. Multiplex testing of allergen-specific IgE can be the method of choice for a prospective component-resolved diagnosis of type I allergy, and the basis for the design and monitoring of a patient-tailored specific therapy.

Dogs are frequently infected with the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). However, to date, only a few clinically manifest cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) have been reported in dogs. In this study, three-month-old beagle dogs were infected with TBEV through a subcutaneous injection. Body temperature, clinical signs, blood haematology, blood biochemistry, and immune responses were monitored for up to 28 days postinfection (p.i.). No changes in body temperature or clinical signs were observed in the infected dogs. Most haematology and blood biochemistry parameters were unchanged after the infection, except for a slight reduction in blood lymphocyte counts, but they were within the physiological range. Low-titre viraemia was detected in 2/4 infected dogs between days 1 and 3 p.i. All infected dogs developed a robust immune response, in terms of neutralising antibodies. Thus, TBEV infections lead to effective seroconversion in dogs. Next, to assess TBEV exposure in dogs in the TBEV-endemic region of the Czech Republic, we conducted a serosurvey. Virus neutralisation tests revealed TBEV-specific antibodies in 17 of 130 (13.07%) healthy dogs, which confirmed a high, but clinically inappreciable TBEV exposure rate in the endemic area. The seropositivity rate was similar (12.7%; 41 positives out of 323) in a subgroup of dogs with various clinical disorders, and it was 13.4% (23 out of 171) in a subgroup of dogs with signs of acute neurological disease. Two dogs with fatal acute meningoencephalitis showed positive results for TBEV-specific IgM and IgG antibodies. These data extended our understanding of the clinical presentation of TBEV infections.