Project

Nathalie van der Meide - Development of intervention strategies for insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in horses

Insect bite hypersensitivity is an allergic reaction of horses to the bite of Culicoides species. Worldwide IBH is the most common allergic skin disease in horses(prevalence ranging from 3% to 60%) and it is characterised by itchy lesions mostly found along the mane and tail and incidentally under the abdomen. Currently, there is no effective treatment or preventive method available for IBH. In moderate climates, the condition of the disease is specifically seen during the summer. Affected horses develop severe skin lesions due to self-mutilation in an attempt to alleviate the itch.

This research project aims to improve our understanding of immunologic, epidemiologic and genetic aspects involved in the development of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) and to identify regulatory mechanisms of inflammation inallergy and genes that contribute to genetic variation in IBH between horses. Our increased understanding of the factors and mechanisms involved in the development of IBH will be used to develop innovative intervention strategies that will effectively decrease the prevalence of IBH in a population.

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This project is part of a large STW-financed program in which the following groups collaborate:

  • Animal Breeding and Genetics group, Wageningen University
  • Cell Biology and Immunology group, Wageningen University
  • Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology group, Wageningen University
  • Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Division of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University
  • Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University