Detecting common allergens in dogs with atopic dermatitis in South Korean Provinces using a serological immunoglobulin E-specific allergen test

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a hereditary susceptibility to the development of allergic symptoms in response to repeated exposure to generally innocuous substances known as “allergens.” Allergens can be plants, animals, mold, mites, or milk. At present, serological enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) kits are used for immunoglobulin E (IgE)-specific allergen detection due to their simplicity and accuracy. This study aimed to detect allergens in dogs with CAD and determine how they differ according to season, breed, age, and sex using a serological test in six provinces in South Korea for 12 months. This will allow practitioners to easily understand the risk factors related to CAD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, IgE allergen-specific ELISA kits were used. The allergens were detected in serum samples collected from different regions considering season, sex, breed, and age. Allergens were divided into the following Ten categories: 1. Dairy, yeast, and egg, 2. grains, 3. vegetables, 4. meat, 5. seafood, 6. animals, 7. mold, 8. insects, 9. mites, and 10. trees. RESULTS: The percentage of allergens detected in males (54.8%) was higher than that of females (45.2%); 54.2% of allergens occurred in 3-year-old dogs or older. Moreover, regarding frequency, 65.6% of overall allergens occur during autumn; Chungcheongnam-do and Jeollabuk-do showed 20.7% and 20.9%, respectively. Additionally, among allergens categories, notable allergen occurrence was as follows: 38.3% corn; 28.7% potatoes; 22.7% duck; 24.4%,codfish; 31.2% animal wool; 95.6% Aspergillus fumigatus; 31.9% flea; 41.8% oak; and 25.0% sheep’s sorrel grass. CONCLUSION: This study showcases the frequency of 60 allergens in six provinces detected in dogs with CAD; most likely from food or the environment using serological ELISA kits. Environmental sensitizer results can be considered for humans suffering from allergies to avoid a similar environment. A large-scale study can be performed to evaluate the allergens in the state. However, neither a skin test nor feed analysis was conducted, which is a limitation of this study.