This paper relates the clinical and epidemiological aspects of canine parvovirus infection (CPV) in the State of Rio de Janeiro from April 1995 to March 2004. A total of 341 fecal samples were collected from up to 6-months-old puppies with gastroenteritis. The diagnosis of CPV infection was confirmed by hemagglutination/ hemagglutination inhibition tests, enzyme immunoassay, virus isolation in cell culture or polymerase chain reaction. One hundred and fifty-seven samples (46%) were positive for CPV. No correlation among sex, breed or age and the occurrence of CPV infection was observed. The classical signs of parvoviral enteritis (anorexia, lethargy, vomiting and hemorrhagic fluid diarrhea) were observed in 70% of CPV-positive and in 60% of CPV-negative puppies. Although CPV could be detected throughout the studied period, its occurrence was significantly higher from June to September and November to December. These results show that CPV is still circulating in the State of Rio de Janeiro.Keywords: canine parvovirus (CPV), Rio de Janeiro, clinical signs, enteritis RESUMO Este trabalho relata os aspectos clínicos e epidemiológicos da infecção pelo CPV no Estado do Rio de

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In this study, the genomic types of canine parvovirus (CPV) circulating in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1995 to 2001, were investigated using the polymerase chain reaction assay (PCR). A total of 78 faecal samples from gastroenteritic puppies, confirmed as positive for canine parvovirus by haemagglutination/haemagglutination inhibition tests or virus isolation in cell culture (MDCK), were examined. The viral DNA was extracted from faecal samples using a combination of phenol- chloroform and silica-guanidine thiocyanate methods. PCR was carried out with differential pairs of primers to distinguish the old (CPV-2) and new types of virus (CPv-2a or CPV-2b). Specific amplicons were observed for all samples using the primer pair P2ab, which detects CPV-2a and CPV-2b. Seventy-six from a total of 78 samples (97%) were considered as CPV-2b because of their reaction with the primer pair P2b. Thirty samples (30/78) were from previously vaccinated puppies and in 15 of them the enteritis symptoms began from 1 to 12 days after vaccination. PCR confirmed the infection by wild virus (CPV-2b) in 5 of these 15 puppies who had received old-type vaccines. Our results show that CPV-2b was the prevalent type circulating in the State of Rio de Janeiro from 1995 to 2001.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is the most important enteric virus for dogs and it seems to be undergoing

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To characterize Feline parvovirus (FPV) circulating in domestic cats in Brazil, 51 fecal samples from unvaccinated domestic cats were collected during 2004-2005. Six parvoviruses were characterized by hemagglutination (HA) assay at different pH values and temperatures and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using different pairs of primers. However, data obtained from HA and PCR did not allow the discrimination between FPV and Canine parvovirus (CPV). Two regions of the VP2 capsid gene (1,171-bp fragment) involved in controlling canine and feline host range were sequenced; 9 synonymous and 10 non-synonymous nucleotide substitutions were detected. All samples were confirmed as FPV by nucleotide sequencing, but 3 feline samples had amino acid changes at residues 93, 375, and 426, which are present in canine strains. The phylogenetic tree built based on nucleotide sequences showed that Brazilian feline samples form a cluster distinct from other parvoviruses deposited in GenBank. Taken together, the findings reinforce the importance of monitoring the continuous evolution of CPV and FPV in the feline population in Brazil.

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