Detection of a canine parvovirus type 2c with a non-coding mutation and its implications for molecular characterisation

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) Vol. 196; no. 3; pp. 555 - 557
• Main Authors: Decaro, Nicola, Desario, Costantina, Amorisco, Francesca, Losurdo, Michele, Elia, Gabriella, Parisi, Antonio, Ventrella, Gianpiero, Martella, Vito, Buonavoglia, Canio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2013
• Subjects: Animals; Canine parvovirus type 2c; Carnivore protoparvovirus 1; Diagnostic test; diarrhea; Dog; Dog Diseases - virology; Dogs; epidemiological studies; Europe; feces; Gene Expression Regulation, Viral - physiology; genes; Indexing in process; Mutant strains; mutants; Mutation; Parvoviridae Infections - veterinary; Parvoviridae Infections - virology; Parvovirus, Canine - classification; Phylogeny; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; sequence analysis; Virology; viruses; Europe; Diagnostic test; Canine parvovirus type 2c; Dog; Mutant strains; Virology
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.12.017

An epidemiological survey for canine parvovirus (CPV) was conducted by collecting 615 faecal samples from dogs with diarrhoea in different European countries. Molecular methods showed that CPV-2a was predominant in most countries, followed by CPV-2c and CPV-2b, whereas 30 strains were not characterised. By sequence analysis of the full-length VP2 gene, 20 of these viruses were characterised as CPV-2c mutants having the synonymous mutation A4061G in the probe-binding region that prevented correct strain characterisation. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using a minor groove binder probe was able to recognise both mutant and classical CPV-2c strains. These results indicate that the emergence of CPVs with mutations affecting the oligonucleotide-binding region needs a continuous update of molecular diagnostic tools in order to detect efficiently those emerging strains.