title: Food-specific serum IgE and IgG reactivity in dogs with and without skin disease: lack of correlation between laboratories.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite conflicting data on their utility and no reports on interlaboratory reproducibility, serum food-specific antibodies are commonly assayed in first-opinion canine practice.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine both the variability of test results between two laboratories and the frequencies and magnitudes of food reactivity in dogs of different disease status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sera were obtained from eight dogs with cutaneous adverse food reaction (Group A), 22 with nonfood-induced atopic dermatitis (Group B), 30 with an allergic/inflammatory phenotype (Group C), 12 with miscellaneous skin diseases (Group D) and nine healthy dogs (Group E).
  
  
  METHODS
  Paired sera were submitted to two laboratories (A and B) for assays of food-specific IgE and IgG antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Numbers of positive IgE and IgG tests determined by each laboratory in Groups A, B, D and E were comparable (Group C not included). Significant differences in the magnitude of IgE reactivity between groups for each allergen were seen only for lamb (Laboratory A, P = 0.003); lamb reactivity in Group D exceeded Group E (P = 0.004) but was comparable between all other groups. Agreement (kappa statistic) between the two laboratories' tests was 'moderate' for one antigen (potato IgE), 'fair' for four (corn IgE, rice IgE and IgG and soya bean IgG), 'slight' for eight (six IgE and two IgG) and 'less than chance' for the remaining six antigens (three IgE and three IgG).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These laboratories' tests appear to have dubious predictive clinical utility because they neither correlate nor distinguish between dogs of different disease status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science and Services and, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hendricks
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loeffler
authors.forename: Yu-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kristien L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Verheyen
authors.forename: Oliver A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Garden
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000592:standards / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E