- a Department of Veterinary Clinics, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- b Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO), InBIO Associate Laboratory, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- c Baker Institute for Animal Health, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Received 6 June 2015, Revised 4 August 2015, Accepted 6 August 2015, Available online 10 August 2015
Highlights
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- All dogs up to 12 months of age were more likely to be CPV-positive.
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- Dogs with anthelmintic treatment were at a lower risk of being CPV infected.
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- Depression and dehydration were associated with a high risk of being CPV infected.
Abstract
Canine
parvovirus (CPV) is the most important enteric virus infecting canids
worldwide. The purpose of this study was to detect CPV in naturally
infected dogs from several veterinary clinics distributed throughout
Portugal between 2012 and 2014 and to identify risk factors associated
with CPV infection. From 209 dogs suspected of being infected with CPV,
historical data and clinical signs were collected. Fecal samples were
screened for CPV by PCR assay and those positive were confirmed by
sequencing. The data was analyzed using logistic regression to
investigate associations between each of the predisposing factors and
CPV status. Of the samples collected, 77.5% tested CPV-positive.
Statistical analysis showed that animals in the three age categories (p < 0.001) were at list 12 times more likely to be CPV-positive than older animals. The anthelminthic treatment [OR = 0.45, p = 0.04] and the rectal temperature (hypothermia, [OR = 0.12, p = 0.004])
contributed to decrease the likelihood of the dogs be infected with
CPV. On the other hand, clinical signs such as depression [OR = 4.4, p = 0.02] and dehydration status [OR = 2.38, p = 0.001]
made dogs more likely to be CPV-infected. The results indicate that
although having a high morbidity, only 18% of the Portuguese dog
population died in the study. Some of the risk factors identified in
this study have not been commonly reported, yet they are easy to obtain
and can be used as prognostic indicators in the veterinary practice.
Keywords
- Canine parvovirus;
- Dog;
- Clinical signs;
- Logistic regression analysis;
- Risk factors
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
