Introduction

• Allergen-specific immunotherapy is suggested to alter the immune response to allergens and, as such, other than allergen avoidance, it is theoretically the best treatment for atopic dermatitis Skin: atopy as it treats the primary condition itself.
  • It changes a Th2 response to a Th1 response with altered cytokine expression.
  • It induces activity of T-reg cells which express suppressive cytokines.
  • IgG production increases which may capture antigen that might otherwise cause allergic reactions.

When to recommend ASIT

Types of immunotherapy

Side-effects of immunotherapy

Concurrent use with anti-inflammatory treatment

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• DeBoer D J, Verbrugge M, Morris M (2016) Clinical and immunological responses of dust mite sensitive, atopic dogs to treatment with sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Vet Dermatol 27 (2), 82-7e23 PubMed.
• Olivry T, DeBoer D J, Favrot C et al (2015) Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis: 2015 updated guidelines from the International Committee on Allergic Diseases of Animals (ICADA). BMC Vet Res 11, 210 PubMed.
• Willemse A, Van den Brom W E, Rijnberk A (1984) Effect of hyposensitization on atopic dermatitis in dogs. JAVMA 184 (10), 1277-1280 PubMed.

Other sources of information

• Favrot C (2017) What is new in allergen-specific immunotherapy? In: Proceedings of 29th Annual ESVD-ECVD Congress, Lausanne.
• Miller W H, Griffin C E & Campbell K L (2013) Hypersensitivity disorders – allergen-specific immunotherapy. In: Muller & Kirk’s Small Animal Dermatology. 7^th edn. Elsevier Inc, Missouri,  pp 383.