Beginning to Address the Parvovirus Problem

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) is considered to be one of the “most important” viruses that infects both domestic and wild dogs all over the world, and is known to be transmittable to some other species. The disease emerged in the 1970s and has spread relatively quickly since then. Lack of protective immunity, unsanitary environments, and endoparasitism have all been reported as important risk factors to CPV, and various studies have explored the relationship between the age or breed of the dog and susceptibility.

This paper looks at numerous risk factors associated with CPV, using data from Portugal as a case study. The researchers found that between 58%-77% of dogs in the study displayed risk factors associated with the virus, and this resulted in a mortality of around 18%. Occasional outbreaks, the persistence of the virus in the environment, and the emergence of new strains leading to infection in vaccinated animals are some of the factors that have been identified to explain why the virus is so common. The researchers found that deworming treatments benefit dogs as “it is known that intestinal parasites precipitate on the onset and increase the severity of the infection.” They also found that breed and sex variables have “no influence in the CPV-positive status.” As far as risk factors go, “depression/stupor, dehydration and rectal temperature” were found to be the most influential in whether a dog was CPV positive.

While the virus continues to be an important cause of admission to vet clinics, the authors say that the data needed to identify the disease in dogs are “easily obtained,” and may help vets to better determine the prognosis for animals with the infection.