title: Quantitative study of 'flame follicles' in skin sections of Shar-pei dogs.
abstract: This study determined the frequency of occurrence and the mean number of 'flame follicles' per skin section and assessed their diagnostic significance in cutaneous biopsies of Shar-pei dogs. The number of 'flame follicles' per section was recorded in skin sections from 42 Shar-pei dogs, of which 40 had non-neoplastic skin disease and non-atrophic dermatoses and 2 had healthy skin. Forty-two skin sections from dogs of different breeds served as control specimens, 28 of which were examples of non-neoplastic and non-atrophic dermatoses and 14 were from dogs with healthy skin. Differences among groups were analysed by means of the unpaired Student's t-test. It was concluded that 'flame follicles' were more frequent and found in significantly higher numbers in the Shar-pei group when compared with the control group suggesting that 'flame follicles' in skin sections from Shar-pei dogs do not have the same diagnostic significance as in other breeds.
mesh_terms: D000505:Alopecia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male