Autoimmune Dermatopathies of Horses

Autoimmune Dermatopathies of Horses
Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2024 May 30:S0749-0739(24)00027-0. doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2024.04.001. Online ahead of print.
Author
Rosanna Marsella 1
Affiliation

1 Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Electronic address: marsella@ufl.edu.

PMID: 38821844
DOI: 10.1016/j.cveq.2024.04.001

Abstract

Autoimmune dermatopathies are not common in horses. These autoimmune diseases can be idiopathic or triggered by an antigen such as drugs, vaccines, or neoplasia. The most common one is pemphigus foliaceus, which manifests as a pustular, crusting eruption. Other more common pustular diseases should be ruled out before considering pemphigus. Vasculitis is relatively common in horses and can be triggered by a variety of antigenic stimulations. Systemic lupus and true idiopathic autoimmune vasculitis are very rare in horses. Every effort should be made to reach a final diagnosis, as the prognosis for true idiopathic autoimmune skin diseases is poor.

Keywords: Bullous pemphigoid; Horses; Lupus; Pemphigus foliaceus; Pemphigus vulgaris; Skin.