Molecular and serological surveys of canine distemper virus: A meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies

Abstract

Background Canine morbillivirus (canine distemper virus, CDV) persists as a serious threat to the health of domestic dogs and wildlife. Although studies have been conducted on the frequency and risk factors associated with CDV infection, there are no comprehensive data on the current epidemiological magnitude in the domestic dog population at regional and national levels. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study and included our results in a meta-analysis to summarize and combine available data on the frequency and potential risk factors associated with CDV infection. Methods For the cross-sectional study, biological samples from dogs suspected to have canine distemper (CD) were collected and screened for viral RNA. Briefly, the PRISMA protocol was used for the meta-analysis, and data analyses were performed using STATA IC 13.1 software. Results CDV RNA was detected in 34% (48/141) of dogs suspected to have CD. Following our meta-analysis, 53 studies were selected for a total of 11,527 dogs. Overall, the pooled frequency of CDV positivity based on molecular and serological results were 33% (95% CI: 23–43) and 46% (95% CI: 36–57), respectively. The pooled subgroup analyses of clinical signs, types of biological samples, diagnostic methods and dog lifestyle had a wide range of CDV positivity (range 8–75%). Free-ranging dogs (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.05–1.97), dogs >24 months old (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.1–3) and unvaccinated dogs (OR: 2.92, 95% CI: 1.26–6.77) were found to be positively associated with CDV infection. In contrast, dogs <12 months old (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.20–0.64) and dogs with a complete anti-CDV vaccination (OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.05–0.59) had a negative association. Conclusion Considering the high frequency of CDV positivity associated with almost all the variables analyzed in dogs, it is necessary to immediately and continuously plan mitigation strategies to reduce the CDV prevalence, especially in determined endemic localities.

Seroprevalence and risk factors of canine distemper virus in the pet and stray dogs in Haa, western Bhutan

“…The ELISA test used in this study only detected IgG antibodies. Thus, we could not differentiate between recent and past infections, and between vaccination and natural infections [24,25]. However, since owners and livestock officials confirmed that the sampled dogs were not vaccinated against CD, we believe that the positive cases detected during our study are due to natural infections with CDV.…”

Retrospective epidemiological analysis of Canine Distemper in Pachuca of Soto city, Hidalgo State

“…From a public health point of view, it is believed that CDV doesn´t infect human cells or causes diseases in humans, nevertheless, some studies have found that said virus has taken place in Piaget bone disease 6 , in the same way, it has been shown that the virus infects and replicates in human osteoclast precursors, increasing concern about the possibility of zoonotic transmission of CDV 7 . According to with a study carried out by Costa in 2019 8 , in Mexico until 2018 there is no report of studies carried out in the country, regarding the prevalence of CDV, therefore in Pachuca city and the rest of Hidalgo State, the study of this disease is null, mainly due to the lack of analysis of the information that is collected in veterinary consultations, this limitation is attributed to the lack of an adequate experimental design to address the problem. Due to the aforementioned, the present investigation is aimed to carry out an epidemiological study of Canine Distemper Virus in a veterinary hospital (VH) in the city of Pachuca de Soto, belonging to Hidalgo State.…”

Recommendations on vaccination for Latin American small animal practitioners: a report of the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group

“…A meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies addressing the global prevalence of CDV showed that most of the articles from LATAM were from Brazil, Argentina and Chile (Costa et al 2019) [EB1]. The prevalence of canine distemper in Brazil was <10% to 41-50%, and in Argentina from 31-40% to >70% when diagnosis was based on molecular studies.…”

“…The prevalence of canine distemper in Brazil was <10% to 41-50%, and in Argentina from 31-40% to >70% when diagnosis was based on molecular studies. When studies were based on serology, seroprevalence ranged from 21-30% to 51-60% in Chile and from 10-20% to >70% in Brazil (Costa et al 2019) [EB1]. In the south of Brazil, the seroprevalence of CDV was reported to be 27.3% (223/817) in non-vaccinated dogs (Dezengrini et al 2007) [EB1].…”