Epidemiology of Canine Parvovirus Enteritis among Hospitalized Dogs in Effurun/Warri Metropolitan Region of Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Canine parvovirus enteritis has remained a problem in dog population worldwide. In Nigeria, dog owners and researchers have grossly neglected the disease even though it has been a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality of dogs. This retrospective study provides current information on the status of canine parvovirus enteritis by collating and analyzing data from clinical records of hospitalized dogs from 2000 to 2013 in Effurun/Warri metropolitan region. In the study, the endemicity of this disease with an overall prevalence of 13.4% for the past 14 years has been demonstrated. The infection rates were significantly associated with age, sex, breed and vaccination status (P < 0.0001). Puppies from 0 to 5 months of age, male, breeds such as Alsatians, Mongrels, Rottweiler, indigenous dogs and unvaccinated dogs are at a higher risk. Furthermore, a seasonal pattern for the disease has been demonstrated with peak incidence recorded every 4-5 years with highest numbers of cases occurring in January (dry season) and July (wet season) of every year. Additionally, the study shows that a recovery rate of 84.3% was achieved following "aggressive'' therapeutic management. There is therefore a need to enlighten veterinarians and dog owners on the status and importance of vaccination against this disease.

Epizootiology of Infectious Diseases of Dog in Some States in Nigeria (2015–2018)

“…This may be as a result of the fact that puppies don't have a well developed immune status (maternally derived antibodies) which eventually begins to wane down at about 12 weeks of age (Mila et al, 2014), thus opening a window for many clinical conditions to occur in them. This finding disagrees with the report according to Shima et al (2015) that adult dogs had more clinical cases/conditions than puppies and adolescents ( Table 1).…”

“…This was followed by Cross (22.9%), NIB (20.5%), Caucasian (9.6%), Rottweiler (8.9%), others (5.2%), Toys (3.6%), Mastiffs (3.5%) and Boerboel (2.1%). This result agrees with the findings of Shima et al (2015) who also reported the highest frequency of clinical cases/conditions in Alsatians, NIB, Cross, Rottweiler and Toy breeds respectively. This could be as a result of the increase use of these breeds for security and breeding been responsible for the high incidence of diseases observed in them (Shima et al, 2015), or adaptability of some exotic breed to the local environment and probably due to genetic diversity that makes dogs (NIB) more resistant to some infections (Shima et al, 2015a).…”

“…The prevalence of clinical cases/conditions according to sex (Table 1), more males (57.1%) than their female (42.9%) counterparts were recorded. In Nigeria, dog owners usually house and provide better veterinary care for male dogs than their female counterparts probably due to their use as security while female dogs may be accorded better veterinary attention because of their use for breeding (Shima et al, 2015;Tion et al, 2018).…”

“…Dog keeping is associated with certain responsibilities including the provision of shelter, nutrition, good health care, disease management, as well as protecting humans from zoonotic diseases associated with it (Craig & MacPherson, 2000). There are some reports on diseases/clinical conditions of dogs in Nigeria by some researchers (William et al, 2002;Okusanya et al, 2014, Shima et al, 2015. Investigation of diseases/clinical conditions of dogs presented to the veterinary clinics in some selected states in Nigeria for treatment triggered this epizootiological analysis.…”

Canine parvovirus (CPV‐2) variants circulating in Nigerian dogs

“…This is consistent with the findings from a previous South African study, which also reported CPV-2a in the only two samples sequenced from Nigerian dogs (Dogonyaro and others 2013). There are reports by Nigerian veterinarians that canine parvovirus is common in vaccinated dogs (Shima and others 2015), which is upheld by these data. The current commercial vaccines used in Nigeria contain live attenuated strains of CPV-2 or CPV-2b, which are reported to provide adequate protection from CPV-2a challenge (Cavalli and others 2008).…”