IgE-bearing cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and allergen-specific IgE levels in sera from RAO-affected horses

Künzle, F; Gerber, V; Van Der Haegen, A; Wampfler, B; Straub, R; Marti, E (2007). IgE-bearing cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and allergen-specific IgE levels in sera from RAO-affected horses. Journal of veterinary medicine. Series A - physiology, pathology, clinical medicine, 54(1), pp. 40-7. Berlin: Blackwell 10.1111/j.1439-0442.2007.00870.x

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Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a common condition in stabled horses characterized by small airway inflammation, airway neutrophilia and obstruction following exposure of susceptible horses to mouldy hay and straw and is thus regarded as a hypersensitivity reaction to mould spores. However, the role of immunoglobulin E antibodies (IgE) in the pathogenesis of RAO is unclear. We hypothesized that the number of cells with receptor-bound IgE in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and IgE levels in serum would be higher in RAO-affected than in healthy horses living in the same environment. Therefore, IgE-positive (+) cells were identified by immunocytochemistry on cytospins from BALF and counted. IgE levels against the mould extracts Aspergillus fumigatus (Asp. f.) and Alternaria alternata (Alt. a.) and the recombinant mould allergen Aspergillus fumigatus 8 (rAsp f 8) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the sera of seven RAO-affected and 22 clinically healthy mature horses housed in the same conventional stable environment. After correcting for the number of neutrophils, there were no significant differences in IgE+ cells on cytospins from BALF between both groups of horses (5% versus 7%, P > 0.1). Serum IgE levels against the mould extracts were significantly higher in RAO-affected than in clinically healthy horses [median = 119 versus 66 relative ELISA units (REU), P < 0.05]. Furthermore, significantly more RAO-affected than healthy horses had detectable serum IgE against the recombinant allergen rAsp f 8 (4/7 and 3/22, respectively, P < 0.05). Age had no significant effect on BALF cell ratios or on specific serum IgE levels. These results show that high IgE levels against mould antigens are associated with RAO under controlled environmental conditions but ranges of mould-specific serum IgE levels overlapped too much between diseased and clinically healthy animals to be of any diagnostic value. Further studies are needed to assess whether IgE-mediated reactions contribute to the pathogenesis of RAO.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) > ISME Equine Clinic Bern > ISME Equine Clinic, Internal medicine 05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) > DVK - Clinical Research [discontinued] 05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Experimental Clinical Research
UniBE Contributor:	Gerber, Vinzenz, Straub, Reto, Marti, Eliane Isabelle
ISSN:	0931-184X
Publisher:	Blackwell
Submitter:	Factscience Import
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 14:52
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:16
Publisher DOI:	10.1111/j.1439-0442.2007.00870.x
PubMed ID:	17359454
Web of Science ID:	000243755400008
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/22265 (FactScience: 33702)