Polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Canine Parvoviral DNA in the vaccines

Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2), the causative agent of acute haemorrhagic enteritis and myocarditis in dogs, has been considered as one of the most important pathogenic viruses. It is a highly contagious and often fatal disease. CPV-2 was first recognized in 1977 and since then it has been well established as an enteric pathogen of dogs throughout the world with high morbidity (100%) and frequent mortality up to 10%. The disease is characterized by 2 prominent clinical forms (i) enteritis with vomition and diarrhea in dogs of all ages (ii) myocarditis and subsequent heart failure in pups of less than 3 months of age. A galaxy of immunoprophylactic agents are available in the market for use in dogs to control the disease. Inspite of vaccination against CPV infections in dogs, the outbreaks has been reported in unvaccinated and vaccinated animals. In this study, PCR has been employed to amplify the genomic DNA of CPV in the vaccines and found to be positive in all the vaccines available in the market.