Occurrence of canine parvovirus type 2c in the dogs with haemorrhagic enteritis in India

Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) causes a highly contagious and often fatal disease in dogs. Since its sudden emergence in the early 1970s, CPV-2 has been evolving through the generation of novel genetic and antigenic variants (CPV-2a/b/c) that are unevenly distributed throughout the world. In the present study we have examined 36 clinical cases of dogs suspected of CPV collected during year 2006. A fragment of the VP2 gene of the virus was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction endonuclease (RE) and DNA sequence analysis. Out of the 36 samples analyzed, 16 were found positive for CPV-2a/2b by conventional PCR. DNA sequencing was done for 6 PCR positive samples, out of which three were characterized as CPV-2c, indicating that this CPV type 2c is currently circulating in India.