A case of hyperplastic dermatosis of the west highland white terrier controlled by recombinant canine interferon-γ therapy

Abstract

A 3.5-year-old, male West Highland White Terrier was diagnosed as having hyperplastic dermatosis by clinical and histopathological findings. Controlling of Malassezia overgrowth by antifungal drugs provided a temporal improvement of the skin lesions, but the disease was deteriorated within the next 2 months despite the negative demonstration of the yeasts. Induction of recombinant canine interferon-γ (rCaIFN-γ) therapy resulted in almost complete cure of the skin lesions within 2 months after the initiation of the therapy. No adverse effects were detected during the therapy. Our results suggested that the rCaIFN-γ therapy is potential to be a novel therapeutic option for controlling the breed-specific hyperplastic skin disease.