Multiple Hypersensitivities Including Recurrent Airway Obstruction, Insect Bite Hypersensitivity, and Urticaria in 2 Warmblood Horse Populations

• Published in: Journal of veterinary internal medicine Vol. 29; no. 1; pp. 320 - 326
• Main Authors: Kehrli, D., Jandova, V., Fey, K., Jahn, P., Gerber, V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2015; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Age; Airway disease; Airway management; Animal populations; Animals; Asthma; Cytokines; Data Collection; Dermatitis; Disease; Eggs; Environmental factors; Environmental management; Equine; Europe - epidemiology; Feces; Female; Genetics; Horse Diseases - epidemiology; Horse Diseases - immunology; Horse Owner Assessed Respiratory Signs Index; Horses; Hypersensitivity; Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Hypersensitivity - immunology; Hypersensitivity - veterinary; Hypotheses; Immunoglobulins; Insect bites; Insect Bites and Stings - epidemiology; Insect Bites and Stings - immunology; Insect Bites and Stings - veterinary; Lung Diseases, Obstructive - epidemiology; Lung Diseases, Obstructive - veterinary; Male; Polymorphism; Population; Questionnaires; Respiratory tract; Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Studies; Urticaria; Urticaria - epidemiology; Urticaria - immunology; Urticaria - veterinary; Europe; Horse Owner Assessed Respiratory Signs Index; Genetics; Equine; Airway disease
• ISSN: 0891-6640; 1939-1676
• DOI: 10.1111/jvim.12473

Background Multiple hypersensitivities (MHS) have been described in humans, cats, and dogs, but not horses. Hypotheses Horses suffering from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), or urticaria (URT) will have an increased risk of also being affected by another one of these hypersensitivities. This predisposition for MHS also will be associated with decreased shedding of strongylid eggs in feces and with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP BIEC2‐224511), previously shown to be associated with RAO. Animals The first population (P1) included 119 randomly sampled horses representative of the Swiss sporthorse population; the replication population (P2) included 210 RAO‐affected Warmblood horses and 264 RAO‐unaffected controls. All horses were Warmbloods, 14 years or older. Methods Associations between disease phenotypes (RAO, IBH, URT, MHS) fecal egg counts, the SNP BIEC2‐224511 as well as management and environmental factors were investigated. Results In P1, RAO‐affected horses had a 13.1 times higher odds ratio (OR) of also suffering from IBH (P = .004). In P2, the respective OR was 7.4 (P = .002) and IBH‐affected horses also showed a 7.1 times increased OR of concomitantly suffering from URT (P < .001). IBH, URT, and MHS phenotypes were significantly associated with the absence of nematode eggs in the feces. Conclusions and Clinical Importance This is the first report of MHS in horses. Specifically, an increased risk for IBH should be expected in RAO‐affected horses.