Pathological and virological observations on canine parvoviral enteritis and myocarditis in the Wellington region

Authors: Kyle BH, Oliver RE, Julian AF, Parrish CR, Smith BF
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 28, Issue 11, pp 238-241, Nov 1980
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Companion animal, Dog
Subject Terms: Abdomen, Alimentary system/gastroenterology, Circulatory system/haematology, Disease/defect, Viral, Infectious disease, Pathology
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: Five outbreaks of acute enteritis and one of myocarditis in 5 to 12-week-old puppies are reported. In cases of enteritis the initial clinical finding of slight malaise was followed within 24 hours by severe vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and death in most cases. The lesions of acute necrotizing enteritis and widespread lymphoid depletion were identical to those of feline panleucopaenia. In the outbreak of myocarditis, 3 puppies were found dead and a fourth developed congestive heart failure. Parvoviral-like particles were found in the faeces of 5 cases of enteritis by electron microscopy and virus was isolated from 2 dogs, using a feline kidney cell line. The isolates demonstrated the physicochemical characteristics of a parvovirus and haemagglutinated porcine red blood cells at 4°C and 22°C but not 37°C. The isolates were antigenically related to feline panleucopaenia virus by immune aggregation, haemagglutination inhibition and immunofluorescence. Fourteen of 48 sera from local dogs had significant haemagglutination inhibition titres to the virus. The diseases reported here are identical to overseas reports of parvoviral enteritis and myocarditis.

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