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Immediate intradermal flea antigen reactivity in clinically normal adult dogs from south Florida, USA
Author(s) -
Kunkle Gail A.,
Jones Lura Jones
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
veterinary dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1365-3164
pISSN - 0959-4493
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3164.2000.00151.x
Subject(s) - flea , allergic dermatitis , antigen , medicine , immunology , skin test , veterinary medicine , dermatology , pathology , tuberculosis
Eighty‐six clinically normal adult dogs from southern Florida, USA, with no history of dermatitis, were intradermally skin tested with Greer flea antigen 1:1000 w/v to determine the prevalence of positive immediate intradermal reactivity. This study describes the test group of animals and reports the prevalence of sensitivity to the Greer whole‐body flea antigen in normal dogs living in a flea‐rich environment. Similar to previous research, the highest prevalence of reactivity to flea antigen occurred at 3–4 years of age. The results indicate that 24% of clinically normal dogs from a flea‐rich environment exhibited positive immediate skin test reactivity. These dogs had no clinical signs of flea allergic dermatitis (FAD) in spite of ongoing flea exposure. A 2‐year follow‐up telephone call to the owners of these flea antigen intradermal skin test (IDST)‐positive dogs indicated that only two of 21 dogs had developed clinical signs of FAD.