Clinical Research Abstracts of the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress 2015.

This research article investigates the effects of CpG-GNP immunotherapy, with and without specific allergens, in treating allergic airway diseases in horses. Results suggest that this therapy alone has a significant effect on allergic and inflammatory parameters.

Research Purpose and Methods

• The research primarily centered around evaluating new therapeutic approaches for addressing allergic airway diseases in both horses and humans. Particularly, researchers investigated the impact of stimulating Treg cells with immune-modulating agents as a creative therapeutic approach. In this context, a field study was carried out to compare the effects of a nebulised nanoparticulate CpG immunotherapy (CpG-GNP), with and without specific allergens.
• Twenty horses affected by RAO (Recurrent Airway Obstruction) were split into two treatment categories – one group received CpG alone, while the second group got CpG combined with allergens. Two unique allergens were selected for each horse, based on their medical history and an in-vitro functional test.
• For the analysis, the horses were treated via nebulisation seven times and examined thrice- initially (baseline), post-treatment, and six weeks after treatment.
• The assessment parameters included clinical parameters, indirect intrapleural measurement, amount of tracheal mucus, arterial blood gas, and neutrophil percentage.

Research Findings and Conclusions

• The results exhibited that the treatment with CpG alone resulted in a significant improvement in clinical outcomes and a notable reduction in tracheal mucus, both post-treatment and six weeks post-treatment.
• Furthermore, the usage of CpG with specific allergens resulted in significant improvement in 70% of the evaluated parameters. However, there were no significant differences in these results when compared to the effects of CpG-GNP treatment alone.
• Consequently, the study concluded that there were no notable differences between the two treatment groups. Nonetheless, CpG-GNP immunotherapy alone had a potent and enduring impact on allergic and inflammatory parameters. This suggests that it holds potential as a treatment method for both equine and human allergic inflammatory airway diseases.
• This study was conducted in line with ethical standards for animal experimentation, with the approval of the regional legal agency for animal experiments in Bavaria, Germany, and informed consent from the horse owners.

Research Funding and Potential Bias

• The study was partly funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) (Germany). Additionally, the AeroNeb Go™ vibrating mesh nebuliser, vital equipment for the study, was sponsored by Inspiration Medical (Bochum, Germany).
• No competing interests were declared, suggesting no apparent bias that could potentially affect the research findings.