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Our aim was to investigate the crosstalk between tumor and immune cells (M2 macrophages) and its effects on cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX2) regulation in canine mammary tumors (CMT). Sh1b CMT cells and human BT474 mammary or HT29 colon cancer cells were co-cultured with canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or with macrophage-like differentiated THP1 monocytes (dTHP1). Intracellular COX2 expression by PBMCs, dTHP1 and cancer cells was evaluated by flow cytometry. Co-culturing of Sh1b and canine PBMCs induced COX2 overexpression in CMT cells. In turn, COX2 expression by PBMCs, mostly CD68 macrophages, was attenuated by co-culture with Sh1b (p=0.0001). In accordance, co-culture with dTHP1 prompted intracellular production of COX2 in both Sh1b CMT cells and HT29 human colon cancer cells and reduced production of COX2 in BT474 human mammary cancer cells. The intracellular COX2 expression from dTHP1 decreased when treated with conditioned medium from cultured Sh1b and HT29 cancer cells. Bidirectional COX2 regulation between cancer and monocytes/macrophages might shape a tolerogenic tumor microenvironment in CMT.

Both humans and their most important domestic animals harbor IgE and a similar IgE receptor repertoire and expression pattern. The same cell types are also involved in the triggering or regulation of allergies, such as mast cells, eosinophils or T-regulatory cells. Translational clinical studies in domestic animals could therefore help cure animal allergies and at the same time gather knowledge relevant to human patients. Dogs, cats and horses may spontaneously and to different extents develop immediate type symptoms to pollen allergens. The skin, nasal and bronchial reactions, as well as chronic skin lesions due to pollen are in principle comparable to human patients. Pollen of various species most often causes allergic rhinitis in human patients, whereas in dogs it elicits predominantly eczematous lesions (canine atopic dermatitis), in horses recurrent airway obstruction or hives as well as pruritic dermatitis, and in cats bronchial asthma and so-called cutaneous reactive patterns (eosinophilic granuloma complex, head and neck pruritus, symmetric self-induced alopecia). In human allergy-specific IgE detection, skin tests or other allergen provocation tests should be completed. In contrast, in animals IgE and dermal tests are regarded as equally important and may even replace each other. However, for practical and economic reasons intradermal tests are most commonly performed in a specialized practice. As in humans, in dogs, cats and horses allergen immunotherapy leads to significant improvement of the clinical symptoms. The collected evidence suggests that canines, felines and equines, with their spontaneous allergies, are attractive model patients for translational studies.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a Flavivirus and transmitted by ticks. It is known in dogs for nearly 30 years and the number of TBE cases is increasing. In addition to fever, cerebrocortical, thalamic, and brainstem symptoms occur simultaneously. Not all TBE infections in dogs lead to clinical signs but peracute/lethal as well as subacute and chronic courses have been reported. TBE is a seasonal disease, depending on climate related tick activity. Infected ticks are spreading the virus over central Europe with a tendency to expand to new endemic areas in western Europe.