Summary Fourteen privately owned horses completed a six month, controlled, double‐blind trial to assess the efficacy of immunotherapy using an aqueous extract of whole, unfed Culicoides variipennis in the treatment of Culicoides hypersensitivity. Selected horses had a history of a seasonal, pruritic dermatitis, clinical signs and distribution compatible with Culicoides hypersensitivity, failed to improve in response to ivermectin therapy, and reacted to several dilutions of Culicoides extracts without significant reactivity to other possible allergens including insects, moulds and feeds. One horse from the control group (n=8) and one from the test group (n=6) improved. Statistically, there was no significant difference between horses on Culicoides antigen and control horses. In each group, four owners thought that their horses had improved.

Twenty-two dogs diagnosed with generalized demodicosis were treated with milbemycin oxime (MO) because of poor response to previous therapies or because the dog was a breed known to be susceptible to ivermectin toxicosis. Fifteen of the 22 dogs were herding breeds. Doses of MO ranged from 1.0 to 2.2 mg kg(-1) day(-1) per os. Cheek swab samples were obtained in order to determine each dog's ABCB1 genotype. Adverse drug reactions were recorded for each dog by the owners and/or veterinarians. The ABCB1-1 Delta genotype was significantly associated with the development of an adverse reaction (neurological toxicity) after treatment with MO. None of the 19 dogs with the wild-type ABCB1 allele experienced adverse reactions, whereas two dogs homozygous for the ABCB1-1 Delta mutation developed ataxia. Assessing the ABCB1-1 Delta genotype prior to MO administration may prevent neurological toxicity in these patients.

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2016-12-23T18:49:38

2016-11-15T19:40:59