Specific diagnosis of parvovirus enteritis in dogs and cats by in situ hybridization.

In a retrospective study, the fixed intestines of 10 dogs and 10 cats with intestinal lesions characteristic of parvovirus infection were assayed for the presence of parvovirus by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Parvoviral nucleic acid was localized by in situ hybridization in intestinal tissue in all 10 dogs and in nine of the 10 cats, whereas antigen was detected only in seven of 10 canine and eight of 10 feline intestines by immunohistochemistry. We conclude that an aetiological diagnosis can be established with a high degree of certainty by routine histology.