Comparison of systemic interleukin 10 concentrations in healthy dogs and those suffering from recurring and first time Demodex canis infestations.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the interleukin 10 (IL-10) concentrations in the sera of dogs suffering from demodicosis.
METHODS: Twenty-six dogs were distributed into three groups: demodicosis groups G1, n=11 (recurring disease) and G2, n=6 (first time occurrence), and a control group, G3, n=9 (healthy dogs). All the animals were subjected to skin scrape tests and blood harvesting for serum extraction. In G1 and G2 only those animals with Demodex canis positive skin tests were included, while healthy dogs were included in G3. To assess IL-10 levels the commercial Quantikine Canine IL-10 Immunoassay(®) (R&D Systems) kit was used.
RESULTS: The mean IL-10 level obtained for G1 was 269.4 pg/ml (sd=290.8 pg/ml), for G2 it was 28.5 pg/ml (sd=19.7 pg/ml) while the mean for G3 was 11.9 pg/ml (sd=2.3 pg/ml). There was a significant difference between G1 and the other two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, dogs with reoccurring demodicosis have higher IL-10 levels than healthy dogs and those suffering the disease for the first time.