Background-Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis (cAD). Serum TARC concentrations are a reliable biomarker for human atopic dermatitis; however, their potential as a biomarker for cAD has not been investigated. Hypothesis/Objectives-To investigate whether serum TARC concentrations correlate with disease severity and therapeutic responses for cAD. Animals-Thirty-nine dogs with cAD and 42 healthy dogs were recruited. Methods and materials-Serum TARC concentrations in dogs with cAD and healthy dogs were measured by sandwich ELISA with anti-canine TARC antibodies. The clinical severity of cAD was scored using the validated Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index, 4th iteration (CADESI-04). Serum TARC concentrations were compared between dogs with cAD and healthy controls, and their relationship with CADESI-04 was examined. Serum TARC concentrations also were measured in 20 dogs with cAD treated with prednisolone or oclacitinib for four weeks. Results-Serum TARC concentrations were significantly higher in dogs with cAD than in healthy dogs (P < 0.001). In dogs with cAD, serum TARC concentrations correlated with CADESI-04 scores (q = 0.457, P < 0.01). Furthermore, serum TARC concentrations significantly decreased in treated dogs with the attenuation of clinical signs (P < 0.001). Changes in serum TARC concentrations before and after treatment correlated with those in CADESI-04 scores (q = 0.746, P < 0.001). Conclusions and clinical relevance-Serum TARC concentrations have potential as a clinical and research tool for the objective evaluation of disease severity and therapeutic responses for cAD.

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The international clinical guideline for canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) was published by the International Committee on Allergic Diseases of Animals in 2015. Unfortunately, it does not fully cover the situations in Japan due to differences in veterinary practice between Japan and the rest of world. The Guideline Committee of the Japanese Society of Veterinary Dermatology (JSVD) attempted to develop guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of CAD in 2016 and 2017, respectively. However, these attempts were unsuccessful because of a lack of clinical evidence. The most critical issues identified were the clarification of the clinical features of CAD among the breeds in which it commonly occurs in Japan, and the establishment of new methods for evaluating its severity. In particular, it is important to promote clinical studies supported by JSVD, in order to establish suitable biomarkers that can be used to objectively evaluate the therapeutic effect of treatments for CAD.

A 25-year-old woman had traumatic flap folds and partial dehiscence of the flap edge in the right eye 5 and 30 months after laser in situ keratomileusis. The period from injury to treatment was 4 hours and 9 days, respectively. With the first injury, the flap was lifted and stretched with moistened sponges to clear the folds. With the second injury, the folds were hard so the flap was lifted and sutured to stretch the folds. The patient recovered visual acuity within 2 weeks.

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