Introduction

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is one of the most common causes of acute hemorrhagic enteritis in young dogs, while clinical diagnosis is often indecisive. Infection leads to a rapid loss of condition of the animal and if not treated at an early stage will eventually lead to the death of the animal. Thus, this disease, as well as its diagnosis is of great concern.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of a point of care in clinic test, PCRun® DNA Detection Kit with an in-house probe-based TaqMan Real Time PCR and to determine the optimal sample to be used for PCR analysis - fecal (anal) swabs, oral swabs, or whole blood.

Methods

Whole blood, fecal and oral swabs samples were collected from 44 unvaccinated healthy puppies and 60 clinical cases of diarrhea or hemorrhagic gastroenteritis from CPV vaccinated or non-vaccinated dogs. DNA purification was performed with a commercial kit and samples were tested using each of the two PCR methods targeting the VP2 gene.

Results

The PCRun® assay, when compared to the TaqMan Real Time PCR assay, had a specificity of 97.9%, 97.7%, and 98.1% and sensitivity of 100%, 96.7%, and 98.1% when using samples from blood, oral swabs, or fecal swabs respectively.

Conclusions

The in-clinic PCR assay was found to be highly specific and sensitive in all samples. Blood and fecal samples have a slight advantage over oral samples. The PCRun® DNA Detection Kit is a suitable test for a simple initial in clinic screening in a short time.