Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2025
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V24
Höfundar / Authors: Fenja Johanna Von Der Höden (1), Hafdis Maria Petursdottir (1), Sigurbjörg Torsteinsdottir (1), Vilhjalmur Svansson (1), Eliane Marti (2), Sigridur Jonsdóttir (1,3)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Institute for Experimental Pathology, Biomedical Center, University of Iceland, Keldur, Reykjavik, Iceland; 2. Clinical Immunology Group, Division of Neurological Sciences, Department of Clinical Research—VPH, VetSuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; 3. Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Kynnir / Presenter: Fenja Johanna von der Höden
Introduction Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is the most common allergic skin disease in horses, caused by Culicoides spp. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has shown promise in treatment but limited efficacy in prevention. Interestingly, foals exported from Iceland show lower IBH prevalence than adults, suggesting that early-life immune priming may shape susceptibility and that age at vaccination could be critical for preventive AIT. Objective: We aim to investigate whether age at vaccination for preventive AIT influences the immune response to Culicoides allergens. Methods: Eight foals and six adult horses were vaccinated with Culicoides allergens in adjuvants. PBMCs were collected pre- and post-vaccination, re-stimulated and analysed by bulk RNA sequencing compared to unvaccinated controls. Results: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from comparisons between foals and adults, as well as between stimulated and unstimulated cells. Functional annotation and enrichment analyses indicate immune-related processes, including antigen presentation and lymphocyte activation. Analyses are ongoing to refine pathway enrichment and to characterize differences in immune responses to preventive AIT. Outlook: These preliminary data indicate that age at vaccination influences immune transcriptional profiles. Follow-up of these foals after export will reveal whether such age-dependent profiles are relevant for preventive AIT and allergy outcomes.