Faecal samples were collected from 200 healthy dogs and examined by electron microscopy for presence of viral particles. Data were compared with viral prevalences that had been determined retrospectively by electron microscopy for 936 dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea.
Results: There were significantly more negative faecal samples among the healthy dogs (82路0 per cent) compared with 55路8 per cent in dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea (P<0路001). With a prevalence of 17路5 per cent, significantly more healthy dogs were shedding coronavirus compared with 11路6 per cent in dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea (P=0路034).
Parvovirus was only detected in one healthy dog (0路5 per cent), thus with a prevalence that was significantly lower than 16路0 per cent detected in the dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea (P<0路001).
Paramyxovirus was not found in any of the healthy dogs but was found in 9路3 per cent of dogs with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea (P<0路001).
Results suggest that shedding of parvovirus and paramyxovirus is strongly associated with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea.
However, coronavirus seems to be even more prevalent among healthy dogs, raising the need for further studies to investigate the strain-associated pathogenicity of this virus.
Source: B. S. Schulz, C. Strauch, R. S. Mueller, W. Eichhorn, K. Hartmann: Comparison of the prevalence of enteric viruses in healthy dogs and those with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea by electron microscopy. In: Journal of Small Animal Practice (OnlineEarly Articles).
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