Parvoviral myocarditis in a 5-week-old Dachshund

Update on Canine Parvoviral Enteritis

Canine parvoviral enteritis is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in young dogs worldwide. The virus is endemic in the environment and can be infective to unvaccinated or poorly vaccinated dogs. Standard in-patient therapies include use of antiemetics, intravenous fluids, antibiotics and provision of enteral nutrition. The use of antiviral drugs, immunomodulators and monoclonal antibody therapy are newer possibilities that may potentially improve outcome. Outpatient therapy also remains a viable possibility for treatment if financial constraints exist.

Case report: Long-term survival in puppies assessed with echocardiography, electrocardiography and cardiac troponin I after acute death in littermates due to parvoviral myocarditis

Positive clinical outcomes of a group of surviving puppies from a litter affected by parvoviral myocarditis are detailed in this case report. Past reports focus on the negative outcomes of littermates of puppies who have died of parvoviral myocarditis. In this case, two puppies in a shelter setting, from a litter exposed to parvovirus, died suddenly with parvoviral myocarditis diagnosed at necropsy. The other seven puppies were screened for cardiac health with echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, and cardiac troponin I prior to adoption. All seven puppies had normal echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, and normal initial and recheck cardiac troponin I results. At recheck 2 years after the initial round of testing, two of the puppies were screened and continue to have normal cardiac diagnostics. All seven dogs are alive and thriving at 5 years old in homes with adopters who were given a complete medical history on the dogs prior to adoption. In summary, the outcomes for puppies in litters affected by parvoviral myocarditis are variable but they do not have to be grave. The use of cardiac diagnostics including echocardiogram, electrocardiogram and cardiac troponin I may serve as a prognostic basis for assessing the potential outcomes for the surviving puppies in affected litters.

Small but mighty: old and new parvoviruses of veterinary significance

In line with the Latin expression "sed parva forti" meaning "small but mighty," the family Parvoviridae contains many of the smallest known viruses, some of which result in fatal or debilitating infections. In recent years, advances in metagenomic viral discovery techniques have dramatically increased the identification of novel parvoviruses in both diseased and healthy individuals. While some of these discoveries have solved etiologic mysteries of well-described diseases in animals, many of the newly discovered parvoviruses appear to cause mild or no disease, or disease associations remain to be established. With the increased use of animal parvoviruses as vectors for gene therapy and oncolytic treatments in humans, it becomes all the more important to understand the diversity, pathogenic potential, and evolution of this diverse family of viruses. In this review, we discuss parvoviruses infecting vertebrate animals, with a special focus on pathogens of veterinary significance and viruses discovered within the last four years.

Update on Canine Parvoviral Enteritis

Canine parvoviral enteritis is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in dogs worldwide. Tests can detect viral antigen in feces, and characteristic decreases in total leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts can increase the index of suspicion in affected cases and can be used to prognosticate morbidity and mortality. The standard of care for infected animals includes IV crystalloid and sometimes colloid fluids, antiemetics, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and early enteral nutrition. Vaccination induces protective immunity in most dogs. Vaccination, along with limiting exposure in young puppies, is the most effective means of preventing parvoviral enteritis in dogs.

Pathology and molecular diagnosis of canine parvoviral enteritis in Nigeria: case report

This report describes the clinical presentation, pathology and molecular diagnosis of canine parvovirus infection in male Boerboel and female Alsatian puppies. The history of the dogs was considered, examined clinically for vital parameters, haemogram changes and faeces screened for parasites and canine parvovirus faecal antigen. Tissue samples were taken at necropsy for confirmatory diagnosis using histopathology, immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence analysis. There was a severe regenerative anaemia, leucopenia and lymphopaenia. The positive antigen faecal test and pathological findings of haemorrhagic enteritis suggested canine parvoviral enteritis disease. Polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis confirmed canine parvovirus-2a as the aetiology of the disease. Informed management is important to avoid complications resulting from secondary to severe dehydration, hypovolemia from marked gastrointestinal fluid and protein loss and sepsis from bacterial translocation and leukopenia.

The Causes of Canine Myocarditis and Myocardial Fibrosis Are Elusive by Targeted Molecular Testing: Retrospective Analysis and Literature Review

Myocarditis can cause death or permanent heart damage. As epidemiologic and etiopathologic data for canine myocarditis are lacking, we performed a retrospective study using nucleic acid extracted from archived (2007 to 2015) tissues from myocarditis cases and control dogs without myocardial lesions. Heart tissue from pediatric/juvenile and adult dogs was tested with a comprehensive panel of conventional and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting recognized agents of canine myocarditis based on a literature review and informed by the comparative epidemiology of human myocarditis. The PCR screen, which included canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2), canine distemper virus, canine herpesvirus, Borrelia spp, West Nile virus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, pneumovirus, respiratory coronavirus, influenza virus, Bartonella spp, Rickettsia spp, Mycoplasma spp, and Neospora caninum, did not detect agents in 35 of 66 cases (53%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 41%-65%) and was frequently negative in adults (21/26); by comparison, agents were not detected in 27 of 57 controls (47%; 95% CI, 35%-60%). Canine distemper virus, herpesvirus, adenovirus, coronavirus, parainfluenza virus, Mycoplasma haemocanis, and N. caninum were occasionally detected in both cases and controls; thus, PCR detection was not considered to indicate causation. We previously reported that CPV-2 continues to be associated with myocarditis in young dogs despite widespread vaccination; in adults, CPV-2 was detected in 2 of 26 cases and 4 of 22 controls. As several agents were similarly detected in cases and controls, it is unclear if these are cardiopathogenic, incidental, or latent. West Nile virus was detected at the analytic limit in 1 adult case. We did not detect Borrelia spp, Bartonella spp, Rickettsia spp, or influenza A virus in the myocarditis cases. These data demonstrate the limitations of current targeted diagnostic tests and the need for additional research to identify unknown agents and develop testing strategies for canine myocarditis.

Long-term effects of canine parvovirus infection in dogs

BACKGROUND

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is the most important viral cause of acute canine enteritis leading to severe damage of the intestinal barrier. It has been speculated that dogs might develop chronic disorders after surviving CPV infection. However, no studies regarding the long-term implications of CPV infection have been published to date. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether dogs that have survived CPV infection will have an increased risk for developing chronic gastroenteritis, atopic dermatitis, or cardiac disease.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Dogs that had been treated at the Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, LMU Munich, for CPV infection for which a follow-up of at least 12 months was available, were included in the study. Owners completed a questionnaire on the presence of chronic gastrointestinal and cutaneous signs, cardiac disease, and other potential disorders. An identical questionnaire was sent to owners of matched control dogs during the same time period. Seventy-one questionnaires of dogs with CPV infection and 67 of control dogs were analyzed. Significantly more CPV-infected dogs (30/71) compared to control dogs (8/67) had developed chronic gastrointestinal signs later in their lives (P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed regarding skin diseases (P = 1), cardiac problems (P = 0.160), or any other diseases (P = 0.173) later in life.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of this study suggest that dogs that survive CPV infection have a significantly higher risk (odds ratio = 5.33) for developing a chronic gastrointestinal disease. Further prospective studies to identify the trigger for the development of chronic diarrhoea and possible targeted treatment strategies are needed.

Canine parvovirus: the worldwide occurrence of antigenic variants

The most important enteric virus infecting canids is canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2). CPV is the aetiologic agent of a contagious disease, mainly characterized by clinical gastroenteritis signs in younger dogs. CPV-2 emerged as a new virus in the late 1970s, which could infect domestic dogs, and became distributed in the global dog population within 2 years. A few years later, the virus's original type was replaced by a new genetic and antigenic variant, called CPV-2a. Around 1984 and 2000, virus variants with the single change to Asp or Glu in the VP2 residue 426 were detected (sometimes termed CPV-2b and -2c). The genetic and antigenic changes in the variants have also been correlated with changes in their host range; in particular, in the ability to replicate in cats and also host range differences in canine and other tissue culture cells. CPV-2 variants have been circulating among wild carnivores and have been well-documented in several countries around the world. Here, we have reviewed and summarized the current information about the worldwide distribution and evolution of CPV-2 variants since they emerged, as well as the host ranges they are associated with.