title: Comparison of the results of intradermal test reactivity and serum allergen-specific IgE measurement for Malassezia pachydermatis in atopic dogs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malassezia pachydermatis is part of the normal flora of canine skin. Malassezia hypersensitivity is recognized as a trigger for clinical signs of atopic dermatitis (AD) in some dogs. Determinations of Malassezia hypersensitivity are often made with intradermal testing (IDT), which may have limited availability in a first-opinion veterinary practice.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare immediate IDT reactivity to M. pachydermatis with results of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) designed to detect anti-Malassezia IgE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-four dogs with a clinical diagnosis of AD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multi-allergen IDT was performed on all dogs. Serum testing for allergen-specific IgE against a panel of common environmental allergens and M. pachydermatis was performed by ELISA using the FcεRIα receptor fragment as a detection reagent, with results reported as adjusted optical density (OD). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyse the results of the two tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median adjusted OD of the anti-Malassezia IgE ELISA for dogs reactive and nonreactive to M. pachydermatis on IDT was 0.137 and 0.024, respectively. Analysis of the ROC curve suggested a cut-off point for the anti-Malassezia ELISA that yielded a sensitivity of 77.0% and a specificity of 89% relative to IDT results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Substantial agreement was demonstrated between IDT reactivity and anti-Malassezia IgE as detected by the FcεRIα receptor reagent. Although correlation with a clinical diagnosis of Malassezia dermatitis was not attempted in this study, the results indicate that the ELISA may be used to demonstrate the presence of immediate-type Malassezia hypersensitivity in dogs with AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Willam E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Oldenhoff
authors.forename: Glenn R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Douglas J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: DeBoer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D007428:Intradermal Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D008290:Malassezia / Q000276:immunology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D015415:Biomarkers; D007073:Immunoglobulin E