Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Sigurbjörg Þorsteinsdóttir1, Emmanuel Cardinaux2, Vilhjálmur Svansson1, Eliane Marti2, Sigríður Jónsdóttir1
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland
Kynnir / Presenter: Sigurbjörg Þorsteinsdóttir
Background: Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) or summer eczema is an IgE mediated allergic dermatitis of horses induced by bites of the genus Culicoides. The disease does not affect horses in Iceland due to lack of the causative midges. However, these horses have an increased risk of developing IBH after export to Culicoides regions. Simulium vittatum (bitmý) common in Iceland feeds on horses. Culicoides reconditus, has been biting humans in Iceland since 2015, first reports were from Kjós in West Iceland. The aim was to examine if the horses in Kjós were sensitized due to C. reconditus and to test the possible influence of S. vittatum.
Methods: IgE against 6 recombinant allergens from C. obsoletus and 1 (Simv1) from S. vittatum, was measured by ELISA. Serum samples from 30 horses from Kjós were collected 2015-2018, 22 horses in Iceland collected 2007, healthy and IBH-affected Icelandic horses in Switzerland.
Results: Neither the horses from Kjós nor the horses sampled before the first observation of C. reconditus had IgE response against the C. obsoletus allergens whereas IBH affected horses had significant IgE levels against all six allergens as compared to healthy controls. The horses from Kjós had higher IgE levels to Simv1 allergen than the horses bled 2007. However, Icelandic exported horses healthy and IBH-affected do not differ in Simv1 specific IgE response.
Conclusion: C. reconditus does not cause IBH. Horses in Iceland are not IBH sensitized by S. vittatum.