The impact of changing living conditions, pollutants, and climate change on allergic skin disease in our pets: highlighting our interconnectedness.

Abstract

Our pets share our living conditions. Many transformations have occurred over the past few decades, including lifestyle shifts and increased exposure to chemicals, pollution, and climate change. Our pets have left a rural environment to join our urban lifestyle, with a loss of plant and microbial diversity; increased exposure to pollution from car traffic, plastics, and chemicals; and more time spent indoors. Concurrently, they have experienced, with us, the effects of climate-related events, including extreme heat, humidity, wind, and exposure to dust from fires. Higher carbon dioxide levels have intensified pollen production and allergenicity, while pollution and chemicals damage epithelia, increasing their permeability. Pollen seasons are longer and more intense. These changes contribute to the rising incidence of allergic diseases and their increased severity. These factors affect the immune system, epithelial barriers, and microbiome, collectively leading to dysbiosis, increased allergen penetration, inflammation, and a higher risk of allergic sensitization. Our pets have mirrored the rise in certain conditions, such as allergic diseases, as seen in people. Atopic dermatitis has been linked to epithelial damage and gut dysbiosis in both dogs and people. This Currents in One Health article aims to present the current state of knowledge on our changing environmental conditions and their impact on our pets, with a focus on skin diseases. The purpose is to increase our awareness of the fact that animal, human, and environmental health are connected and changes in our environmental conditions are driving the rise of inflammatory skin diseases in pets and people.