Prevalence of canine coronavirus and parvovirus infections in dogs with gastroenteritis in Thailand

Abstract

Canine coronavirus (CCV) and canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) are the causative agents of gastroenteritis in dogs. Seventy fecal samples from dogs with signs of gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea), twenty-five fecal samples from healthy dogs and one CPV-2 vaccine strain were amplified by semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semi-nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), aimed at specifically studying the gene encoding the most abundant capsid protein VP2 of CPV-2 and spike protein of CCV. The specificity of the CCV RT-PCR product was evaluated by sequencing. Positive specimens comprised 44 samples (62.8%) and 9 samples (12.8%) for CPV-2 and CCV, respectively. In nine CCV positive samples, seven displayed co-infection between CCV and CPV-2. Our CCV sequence (AF482001) showed a 94.9% nucleotide identity to CCV reported in GenBank accession number D13096. High prevalence of CCV and CPV-2 infections was found in 1-2 month- and 3-6 month-old dogs, respectively. Molecular biology of these viruses is important primarily for epidemic control and preventive measures.