title: Multiple hypersensitivities including recurrent airway obstruction, insect bite hypersensitivity, and urticaria in 2 warmblood horse populations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple hypersensitivities (MHS) have been described in humans, cats, and dogs, but not horses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Horses suffering from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), or urticaria (URT) will have an increased risk of also being affected by another one of these hypersensitivities. This predisposition for MHS also will be associated with decreased shedding of strongylid eggs in feces and with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP BIEC2-224511), previously shown to be associated with RAO.
  
  
  METHODS
  The first population (P1) included 119 randomly sampled horses representative of the Swiss sporthorse population; the replication population (P2) included 210 RAO-affected Warmblood horses and 264 RAO-unaffected controls. All horses were Warmbloods, 14 years or older.
  
  
  METHODS
  Associations between disease phenotypes (RAO, IBH, URT, MHS) fecal egg counts, the SNP BIEC2-224511 as well as management and environmental factors were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In P1, RAO-affected horses had a 13.1 times higher odds ratio (OR) of also suffering from IBH (P = .004). In P2, the respective OR was 7.4 (P = .002) and IBH-affected horses also showed a 7.1 times increased OR of concomitantly suffering from URT (P < .001). IBH, URT, and MHS phenotypes were significantly associated with the absence of nematode eggs in the feces.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first report of MHS in horses. Specifically, an increased risk for IBH should be expected in RAO-affected horses.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, University of Berne and Agroscope, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kehrli
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jandova
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fey
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jahn
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gerber
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003625:Data Collection; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006736:Horses; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D014581:Urticaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Airway disease; Equine; Genetics; Horse Owner Assessed Respiratory Signs Index