A Comparison of Intradermal Skin Testing and Serum Insect Allergen-specific IgE Determination in Horses With Insect Bite Hypersensitivity From 2008 to 2016

Abstract New techniques in equine veterinary allergy testing include multiple allergen simultaneous tests (MASTs) that cover insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), respiratory and atopic allergic diseases. The in vivo intradermal test (IDT) method is one of the most widely used techniques in veterinary practice, but recently, in vitro methods have been introduced as possible alternatives. This study was designed to assess the correlation between IDTs and MASTs based on IgE determination in serum. The study was performed on Malopolski breed horses with IBH (n = 26). IDTs were performed, and allergen-specific IgE serum concentrations were measured using a monoclonal anti-IgE antibody during the years 2008–2016. An allergen panel containing Tabanus spp., Culicoides nubeculosus , mosquito ( Culex spp.), Simulium equinum , and Stomoxys calcitrans was used. This study shows good agreement and correlation (correlation coefficient rho, 0.413–0.589) between the two tests for four ( Tabanus spp, Culicoides nubeculosus , Culex spp., Simulium equinum ) of the five tested allergens in horses with IBH. The overall sensitivity (Se) of the allergen-specific IgE insect horse panel was 72.6% (range, 30.8%–91.3%), the specificity (Sp) was 63.6% (range, 50%–70.1%), and the accuracy (Acc) was 73.3% (range, 48%–88.5%) compared with IDTs. This study found good agreement and correlation between IDTs and serological MASTs based on monoclonal antibodies for most of the determined allergens for horses with IBH.