Ichthyosis : a severe skin disease that affects dogs and humans.

Ichthyosis : a severe skin disease that affects dogs and humans.Both dogs and humans can suffer from ichthyosis, a disorder in which the skin becomes very dry, scaly, and prone to secondary infections. Medical researchers have uncovered new details about one form of the disease and took a step toward developing a topical therapy. A particularly serious skin barrier condition is known as ichthyosis in which thick layers of scales can build up. It arises when the lipid-synthesis process in the skin goes awry. Besides causing discomfort and a scaly appearance, the condition can make the skin prone to secondary infections. No effective treatments currently exist for ichthyosis, but a new study led by pathologist Elizabeth Mauldin of Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine takes a step toward a topical therapy.Using dogs that were born with one form of the disease, she and her colleagues uncovered its cellular and metabolic basis and used that information to create a compound to address the lipid deficits seen in the disease. Using a lotion applied to the skin, they were able to reinstate the corneocyte lipid envelope (CLE) that is typically lacking in these patients. Ichthyosis : a severe skin disease that affects dogs and humans.