Quantitative assessment of mast cells and expression of IgE protein and mRNA for IgE and interleukin 4 in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy dogs and dogs with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

The increased numbers of cells positive for IgE and mast cells in dogs with IBD suggest hypersensitivity such as hypersensitivity to bacterial or dietary-derived antigens in the intestinal lumen. Future studies need to elucidate whether this represents a cause of inflammation or is a result of the inflammatory process of IBD.