Viral reproductive pathogens of dogs and cats.

This article reviews the current literature on the viral agents that cause reproductive failures in domestic carnivores (dogs and cats). A meaningful update is provided on the etiologic, clinical, pathologic, diagnostic, and prophylactic aspects of the viral infections impacting canine and feline reproduction as a consequence of either direct virus replication or severe debilitation of pregnant animals.

Genetic heterogeneity and recombination in canine noroviruses.

Alphatronlike (genogroup IV [GIV]) noroviruses (NoVs) have been recently identified in carnivores. By screening a collection of 183 fecal samples collected during 2007 from dogs with enteric signs, the overall NoV prevalence was found to be 2.2% (4/183).

Detection and molecular characterization of a canine norovirus.

We identified a novel calicivirus in a pup with enteritis. The isolate was related genetically (90.1% aa identity in the capsid protein) to a lion norovirus strain.

Genotyping canine distemper virus (CDV) by a hemi-nested multiplex PCR provides a rapid approach for investigation of CDV outbreaks.

CDV is a highly contagious viral pathogen causing a lethal systemic disease in dogs and other carnivores. Several lineages or genotypes of CDV exist that are variously distributed throughout several continents. Legal or uncontrolled trading of animals may modify the epidemiology of CDV, introducing novel strains in CDV-naïve areas or accounting for the resurgence of CDV in areas where vaccine prophylaxis was effective and successful to control the disease.

2006 AAHA canine vaccine guidelines.

In 2005, AAHA's Canine Vaccine Task Force met to reexamine and revise guidelines on the use of vaccines in dogs. The results of the Task Force's work are summarized and tabulated in this article and are published in their entirety on the AAHA website (www.aahanet.

Report of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccine Task Force: executive summary and 2003 canine vaccine guidelines and recommendations.

The AAHA has undertaken the development of this document in an effort to inform veterinary practitioners, clarify misunderstandings held by veterinarians, and encourage practitioners to recognize that immunization of patients is a medical procedure. As such, it is bound by the same tenets that govern the recommendation of other medical procedures-principally, that it be tailored to the needs of the individual patient. Many diseases we immunize against are ubiquitous.

The canine minute virus (minute virus of canines) is a distinct parvovirus that is most similar to bovine parvovirus.

We characterized the genome and proteins of the canine minute virus (the minute virus of canines (MVC)). The genome sequence showed MVC to be an autonomous parvovirus encoding a large nonstructural protein 1 gene, a smaller nonstructural protein, and overlapping VP1 and VP2 protein genes. The virus was most closely related to bovine parvovirus (BPV), with which it was 43% identical at the DNA sequence level, while the NS1 and VP1 proteins were 33.

Virologic and serologic identification of minute virus of canines (canine parvovirus type 1) from dogs in Japan.

Minute virus of canines (MVC), also known as canine parvovirus type 1, was initially believed to be a nonpathogenic agent, since it was first isolated from canine fecal specimens in the late 1960s. However, subsequent pathological as well as epidemiological studies suggested that MVC is a pathogen of neonatal puppies and is widely distributed among domestic dogs in the United States. The virus also has been shown to cause fetal deaths.

Evolutionary dynamics of viral attenuation.

The genetic trajectory leading to viral attenuation was studied in a canine parvovirus (CPV) strain grown on dog kidney cells for 115 transfers. Consensus sequences of viral populations at passages 0, 3, 30, 50, 80, and 115 were obtained from PCR products covering 86% of the genome; clones from each of the 80th and 115th passages were also sequenced, covering 69% of the genome. Sixteen changes were fixed in the 115th-passage virus sample.