Human Recombinant Interferonα-2b for Management of Idiopathic Recurrent Superficial Pyoderma in Dogs: A Pilot Study

75 n INTRODUCTION Recurrent bacterial pyoderma in dogs is frequently a source of frustration for both pet owners and clinicians. Although many canine patients with bacterial pyoderma respond appropriately and completely to initial therapeutic management, many relapse. When diagnostic tests fail to reveal an underlying cause of recurrent superficial pyoderma (e.g., allergic disease, hypothyroidism, occult neoplasia), veterinarians frequently rely on one of three treatment options: antibiotic therapy, antibacterial shampoos, or immunomodulatory therapy with products such as the polyvalent bacterial antigen (Staphylococcus aureus) Staphage Lysate (SPL, Delmont Laboratories) or killed Propionibacterium acnes bacterin (ImmunoRegulin, ImmunoVet). SPL is a bacterin prepared by bacteriophage lysis of human-origin S. aureus bacteria. Administration of SPL is by SC injection once or twice weekly, and killed P. acnes bacterin is administered once or twice weekly IV. One study reports that approximately 30% to 50% of dogs with recurrent pyoderma ultimately benefit from bacterin treatment with SPL. However, some owners object to giving SC injections at home or to the inconvenience and expense of multiple trips to Human Recombinant Interferonα-2b for Management of Idiopathic Recurrent Superficial Pyoderma in Dogs: A Pilot Study