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Abstract
Feline atopic skin syndrome (FASS) is a pruritic and inflammatory skin disease commonly encountered in cats. Studies investigating skin lesion pathogenesis in feline atopic disease (FAD) are limited and, in general, are centered on cell-type histopathologic evaluations. Whether FAD and FASS mirror the allergic immune responses seen in the skin and blood of humans and dogs with atopic dermatitis requires further investigation. The purpose of this study is to characterize the molecular pathways in the skin and serum of cats diagnosed with FASS using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and multiplex cytokine/chemokine assay. Determining the immunologic pathways in FASS is warranted to further our understanding of the pathogenesis of FASS, which will then allow for the development of more targeted and beneficial therapies for FASS to be achieved.