Immunoallergic skin manifestations associated with new pets: three cases

The number of household pets increased greatly during the twentieth century, with numbers of new pets (NP, i.e. any pets other than cats and dogs) rising especially sharply over the last decade. We first of all report the case of a female patient with eczema lesions on areas skin coming into contact with a ferret, with removal of the animal resulting in wound healing, followed by two patients presenting atypical polymorphous erythema reactions induced by dermatophytes present in their pet rat. While the most common allergies are respiratory, allergic skin reactions, both immediate and delayed, may also result from contact with these new allergens. The animal itself or its environment may be the cause.