The infectivity and pathogenicity of a group 2 bovine coronavirus in pups

Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV), which is more closely related to the bovine coronavirus (BCoV), has recently been detected in dogs. In this study, we examined whether BCoV was capable of infecting and exhibiting pathogenicity in dogs. Three 1-month-old pups were oronasally given field isolates of BCoV, and were kept together with 2 control animals. As a result, increases in BCoV-neutralizing antibody titers were confirmed in all pups in the challenged and control groups. Moreover, the virus gene was also detected in oral and rectal swabs by RT-PCR. These results indicate that BCoV infects dogs, and easily infects other dogs that are kept together. However, no clinical symptoms such as respiratory symptoms and diarrhea were observed.     

Prevalence of canine coronavirus (CCoV) in dog in Japan: detection of CCoV RNA and retrospective serological analysis

We collected rectal swabs from dogs in Japan during 2011 to 2014, and canine coronavirus (CCoV) nucleocapsid gene was detected by RT-PCR. The relationship between CCoV infection and the manifestation of diarrhea symptoms was investigated, and a correlation was noted (df=1, χ²=8.90, P<0.005). The types of CCoV detected in samples from CCoV-infected dogs were CCoV-I in 88.9% and CCoV-II in 7.4%, respectively. We retrospectively investigated the seroprevalence of CCoV-I in dogs in Japan during 1998 to 2006. The sera were tested with a neutralizing antibody test. In the absence of CCoV-I laboratory strain, we used feline coronavirus (FCoV)-I that shares high sequence homology in the S protein with CCoV-I. 77.7% of the sera were positive for neutralizing anti-FCoV-I antibodies.     

Research Progress of Canine Coronavirus and Feline Coronavirus

Canine coronavirus (CCoV) and feline coronavirus (FCoV) belong to α-genus coronavirus of coronavirus family,porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV),porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) also belong to the same genus.Genetic evolution analysis showed that different genotype of the virus could produce new variant strains through gene recombination,which caused great obstacles to the diagnosis and control of the disease.β-genus coronaviruses include bovine coronavirus (BCoV),canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV).Among them,CRCoV has the highest homology with BCoV,but there are great differences in genomic structure,pathogenic mechanism and infection symptoms between this kind of coronavirus and α-coronavirus.CCoV and FCoV are widely spreading around the world,characterized by high morbidity and low mortality.Due to the characteristics of RNA virus and the influence of environmental selection pressure,the viruses continue to mutate and evolve,and new virulent strains appear one after another.The virulence of feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) is greatly enhanced,some specific point mutations in the virus genome change the cellular tropism against the host.The pathogenesis of the virus mainly depends on the antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) induced by virus infection.The epidemiological investigation and prevention and control of CCoV and FCoV should not only rely on the single factor of vaccine immunity,but also comprehensively consider the virulence of the virus,environmental conditions,pet self-immune resistance, and so on.The identification of CCoV and FCoV should be based on clinical symptoms,combined with routine hematological examination,serum biochemical examination and laboratory diagnosis techniques to prevent false positive and false negative results.     

犬猫冠状病毒研究进展

犬冠状病毒（canine coronavirus,CCoV）与猫冠状病毒（feline coronavirus,FCoV）同属于冠状病毒科冠状病毒属α属,与其同属的病毒还有猪传染性胃肠炎病毒（porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus,TGEV）、猪流行性腹泻病毒（porcine epidemic diarrhea virus,PEDV）等。遗传进化分析表明,该种属不同基因型病毒通过基因重组能产生新型变异毒株,为疾病的诊断与防控造成了很大的阻碍。β属冠状病毒包括牛冠状病毒（bovine coronavirus,BCoV）、犬呼吸道冠状病毒（canine respiratory coronavirus,CRCoV）、严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒（severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus,SARS-CoV）等,其中CRCoV与BCoV同源性较高,该类病毒与α属冠状病毒在基因组结构、致病机制、感染症状等方面差异较大。CCoV与FCoV在全球范围内广泛传播,具有发病率高、死亡率低的特点。由于RNA病毒本身的特点和环境选择压力的影响,这两种病毒不断变异进化,新的强致病力毒株相继出现。经FCoV基因突变演化而来的猫传染性腹膜炎病毒（feline infectious peritonitis virus,FIPV）毒力大大增强,病毒基因组中某些特异性的点突变使得针对宿主的细胞嗜性发生改变,该病毒的致病机制主要依赖于病毒感染后诱导机体产生的抗体依赖性增强作用（ADE）。针对犬猫冠状病毒的流行病学调查及防控不能仅依赖于疫苗免疫单一因素,还应综合考虑病毒毒力、环境条件、宠物自身免疫抵抗力状态等。针对犬猫冠状病毒的诊断应根据临床症状,结合常规血液学检查、血清生化检查和实验室诊断技术来进行全面的鉴定,防止出现假阳性及假阴性结果。     

Serologic survey of selected viral agents in recently captured wild North American river otters (Lontra canadensis).

Blood samples were collected from 64 wild North American river otters (Lontra [Lutra] canadensis) from northern and eastern New York State and analyzed for serologic evidence of exposure to selected viral agents during a 1995 1996 translocation program. No clinical signs of disease nor lesions suggestive of prior viral exposure were seen. Titers were detected for antibodies against canine distemper virus, canine herpesvirus-1, and canine parvovirus-2 but not for antibodies against canine adenovirus-1, canine coronavirus, canine parainfluenza virus, rabies virus, feline herpesvirus-1, feline calicivirus, or feline coronavirus. This is the first report of titers for antibodies against canine herpesvirus-1 in North American river otters, and it suggests a low prevalence of antibody titers against most canine viruses in otter populations in northern and eastern New York. Confounding variables in this study could include exposure to domestic dogs associated with the project, prolonged time spent in captivity, and concurrent bacterial or parasitic infection. Stress-associated humoral immune suppression could have altered serologic profiles, especially in otters exposed to dogs after trapping but before venipuncture.     

Detection and genotyping of canine coronavirus RNA in diarrheic dogs in Japan

To clarify the prevalence of canine coronavirus (CCoV) infection in Japan, faecal samples from 109 dogs with diarrhoea were examined for CCoV RNA together with canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) DNA. The detection rates of CCoV and CPV-2 for dogs aged less than 1 year were 66.3% and 43.8%, while those for dogs aged 1 year or older were 6.9% and 10.3%, respectively, which were significantly different (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0003, respectively), indicating not CPV-2 but CCoV is an important diarrhoea-causing organism in juvenile dogs. Among the CCoV-positive dogs, 65.5% and 72.7% showed to be positive for CCoV types I and II, respectively, and simultaneous detection rate of both types was high at 40.0%. Furthermore, transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV)-like CCoV RNA was detected from 8 dogs. These findings indicate that CCoV type I and TGEV-like CCoV are already circulating in Japan, though no reports have been presented to date.     

Serological prevalence of canine respiratory coronavirus

Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) has recently been detected in dogs; it is a group 2 coronavirus showing similarity to bovine coronavirus (BCoV) but is distinct from canine enteric coronavirus (CECoV). CRCoV may play an important role in canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) either by predisposing to further and potentially more serious viral and bacterial infections or possibly as a primary pathogen. The prevalence of serum antibodies to CRCoV, in a population of dogs in the south east of England, has been shown previously to be 30.1% on the first day of entry to a rehoming kennel [Erles, K., Toomey, C., Brooks, H.W., Brownlie, J., 2003. Detection of a group 2 coronavirus in dogs with canine infectious respiratory disease. Virology 310, 216-223]. The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of CRCoV in the general canine population within as well as outside the UK. An ELISA, used to test for the presence of antibodies to CRCoV in canine serum samples, identified seropositive dogs in UK, USA, Canada, Republic of Ireland and Greece. The development of an ELISA based on CRCoV antigen and immunofluorescence assay are described here. 54.7% (547/1000) of North American and 36.0% (297/824) of United Kingdom dogs were seropositive for CRCoV. The age and geographical distribution of seropositive dogs was also assessed. The cross-reactivity demonstrated between CRCoV antibodies from different countries and a UK viral isolate suggests immunological similarity. The overall prevalence of this virus in both North America and the UK suggests that CRCoV has international significance and that further epidemiological studies are required.     

Serological prevalence of canine respiratory coronavirus in southern Italy and epidemiological relationship with canine enteric coronavirus.

Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) has been detected in dogs suffering from respiratory disease and is thought to be involved in canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) complex. Canine enteric coronavirus (CECoV) is a widespread pathogen of dogs, responsible for mild to severe diarrhea in pups. The purpose of this study was to establish the seroprevalence of CRCoV in Italy and its relationship to CECoV type II seroprevalence. The age and year of sample collection from seropositive dogs was also assessed. Of adult domestic dogs, 23.3% had antibodies to CRCoV, compared with 86.1% with antibodies to CECoV. Amongst a population of kenneled pups, 4.0% had antibodies to CRCoV, and 97.0% had antibodies to CECoV.     

Seroepidemiological study of canine ehrlichial infections in Yamaguchi prefecture and surrounding areas of Japan

Randomly selected serum samples from 150 dogs from Yamaguchi and neighbouring prefectures were subjected to the indirect immunofluorescent assay to detect antibodies against Ehrlichia canis, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia muris and Ehrlichia from Ixodes ovatus. A total of 30 out of the 150 serum samples reacted with at least one of the antigens at a titer of 1:20 or more. Considerable cross-reactivity was seen and most samples reacted with at least two different antigens. Fifteen (10.0%) dogs had higher titers to E. canis than any of the other antigens. Four (2.7%) dogs had higher titers to Ehrlichia from Ixodes ovatus and one (0.6%) dog had higher titers to E. muris compared to the other antigens. The findings suggest that these five dogs may be infected with the domestic Ehrlichia of Japan. The remaining ten dogs had similar high titers to two or more of the antigens. This is the first serological evidence obtained of canine infection with the domestic Ehrlichia of Japan.     

吉林省肉牛冠状病毒感染状况调查及分析

旨在全面了解牛冠状病毒(BCoV)在吉林省肉牛群的流行情况,选择吉林省东中西部地区的12个县市的规模化、养殖合作社、家庭型养殖户等牛场在不同季节采集血液、鼻拭子、粪拭子及临床病死牛组织脏器,采用血清学及分子生物学诊断检测技术,对BCoV进行流行病学调查,了解BCoV在该吉林省部分地区的流行情况。共采集临床血清样品1 298份,粪便样品、肝、肺、脾、气管等组织样品462份,应用商品化BCoV抗体检测试剂盒检测血清抗体和纳米PCR新型检测技术对临床样品进行PCR检测,并对核酸检测出的阳性结果测序分析。结果显示BCoV抗体血清阳性率为1.08%,粪便、肝等临床样品阳性率21.10%。经测序分析调查地区BCoV流行株与我国四川流行株相似性达99%以上。本研究对吉林省中部地区BCoV流行情况进行了全面调查,丰富了牛冠状病毒的流行病学调查数据,为指导牛冠状病毒的防控工作奠定了基础。     

Viral antibody studies of laboratory dogs with diarrheal disease

Viral antibody studies were done on laboratory dogs in an epizootic of gastrointestinal disease. Increased hemagglutination-inhibition antibody titers to a parvovirus (PV) antigenically related to feline panleukopenia virus were found in convalescent serum specimens of 78% (20/26) of the affected dogs and in 83% (5/6) of apparently healthy dogs. With one exception, all dogs tested had significant levels of hemagglutination-inhibition antibody to this PV. Similar increased antibody titers were found to feline panleukopenia virus. Also, neutralizing antibody responses were detected to the canine coronavirus in 24% (6/25) and canine herpesvirus in 45% (10/22) of the affected dogs. However, antibody titers did not increase to canine distemper virus, infectious canine hepatitis virus, canine parainfluenza virus, or minute virus of canines. Subsequent serotesting of the colony provided evidence that additional PV infections occurred in pups from each of 8 litters born 3 to 8 months after the epizootic. These findings indicated the continued presence of the PV for more than 1 year in the infected colony. Of 19 laboratory personnel who worked with the affected dogs, none, including 4 with a concurrent diarrheal disease, developed or had antibodies to the PV or canine coronavirus.     

Serologic response of domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) to canine distemper and rabies virus vaccines

Nine unrelated 12-week-old naive domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) were used to evaluate the serologic responses to commercial canine distemper virus (CDV) and rabies virus (RV) vaccines. Five of the ferrets (group 1) were inoculated 3 times at 2-week intervals with a multivalent modified-live virus vaccine of canine cell-line origin, containing CDV and an inactivated RV vaccine. Four of the ferrets (group 2) were inoculated once with the multivalent modified-live virus vaccine containing CDV and were not inoculated with the RV vaccine. Both group-1 and group-2 ferrets seroconverted to the CDV component of the vaccine. Group-1 ferrets also seroconverted after RV vaccination and maintained serum antibody titers to both CDV and RV for at least 7 months. Domestic ferret sera were found to have IgG epitopes similar to sera of domestic dogs and cats. Domestic ferret sera did not contain antibodies to feline coronavirus or FeLV antigens.     

Coronavirus antibody detection in cats by computer-assisted kinetics-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (KELA): field studies

A total of 2238 feline serum samples submitted to the New York State Diagnostic Laboratory over a 1-year period were tested for the presence of coronavirus antibodies, using the computer-assisted, kinetics-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (KELA). Cats from which sera were obtained were categorized by sex, age, breed, and disease status, and variations in mean antibody titers for different sub-classifications within each category were analyzed by computerized statistical analysis. As expected, higher mean antibody titers were recorded for cats with feline infectious peritonitis, and for cats with a recent history of possible coronavirus exposure. However, an unexpected inverse relationship between coronavirus antibody titer and age was also found. Certain cattery-oriented pure breeds appeared to have higher mean antibody titers, because their sample populations contained a higher percentage of younger cats and cats of unknown age-groups which, over-all, had higher mean titers. Taken together, the data substantiated the efficacy of the computer-assisted KELA for routine detection of serum coronavirus antibodies in cats.     

M gene evolution of canine coronavirus in naturally infected dogs

Two stray pups (A and B), three and five months old, respectively, both naturally infected with canine coronavirus (CCoV), were studied for 180 days. The virus was detected intermittently in the pups' faeces by PCR for periods of 156 and 146 days, respectively. Sequence analysis of a fragment of the gene encoding the M protein revealed that the viruses detected at the onset of the infection were very similar to typical strains of CCoV, whereas from 42 days after infection in pup A and 40 days after infection in pup B the viruses had nucleotide and amino acid mutations resembling sequences in feline coronavirus.     

Coronavirus infection of spotted hyenas in the Serengeti ecosystem

Sera from 38 free-ranging spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, were screened for exposure to coronavirus of antigenic group 1. An immunofluorescence assay indicated high levels of exposure to coronavirus among Serengeti hyenas: 95% when considering sera with titer levels of > or = 1:10 and 74% when considering sera with titer levels of > or = 1:40. Cubs had generally lower mean titer levels than adults. Exposure among Serengeti hyenas to coronavirus was also confirmed by a serum neutralisation assay and an ELISA. Application of RT-PCR to 27 fecal samples revealed viral RNA in three samples (11%). All three positive fecal samples were from the 15 juvenile animals (<24 months of age) sampled, and none from the 12 adults sampled. No viral RNA was detected in tissue samples (lymph node, intestine, lung) from 11 individuals. Sequencing of two amplified products from the S protein gene of a positive sample revealed the presence of coronavirus specific RNA with a sequence homology to canine coronavirus of 76 and 78% and to feline coronavirus type II of 80 and 84%, respectively. Estimation of the phylogenetic relationship among coronavirus isolates indicated considerable divergence of the hyena variant from those in European, American and Japanese domestic cats and dogs. From long-term observations of several hundred known individuals, the only clinical sign in hyenas consistent with those described for coronavirus infections in dogs and cats was diarrhea. There was no evidence that coronavirus infection in hyenas caused clinical signs similar to feline infectious peritonitis in domestic cats or was a direct cause of mortality in hyenas. To our knowledge, this is the first report of coronavirus infection in Hyaenidae.     

Experimental infection of dogs with a novel strain of canine coronavirus causing systemic disease and lymphopenia

A pantropic canine coronavirus (CCoV) strain (CB/05) has been recently associated to a fatal outbreak of systemic disease in young dogs. We report the clinical, virological and serological findings in dogs experimentally infected with strain CB/05. The dogs, three 2.5-month-old and two 6-month-old pups, were successfully infected, shedding viral RNA with their faeces for the entire observation period (21 days) and displaying systemic clinical signs resembling those observed during the course of natural infection. Leucopenia (acute lymphopenia) occurred in all infected dogs, with values dropping below 60% of the initial counts. Considering the severity of the CB/05-induced disease, two of the youngest pups were euthanized for ethical reasons at days 8-9 postinfection, whereas the other pups underwent a slow but progressive improvement of their clinical status with complete recovery. At postmortem examination, remarkable lesions were observed in the internal organs of the euthanized pups, that tested positive for CCoV by real-time RT-PCR and virus isolation on cell cultures. All pups seroconverted for CCoV, as shown by the high optical density values and antibody titres detected by ELISA and virusneutralisation tests, respectively. The present study confirms that strain CB/05 is highly pathogenic for dogs, being able to induce a severe disease (and in some cases the death) even in experimental conditions.     

Serological and molecular evidence that canine respiratory coronavirus is circulating in Italy

Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) is a group II coronavirus that was firstly identified in lung samples of dogs with canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) in UK in 2003. We report for the first time the identification of CRCoV in Italy, together with serological evidence that the virus has been circulating in the Italian dog population as from 2005. Serological investigations on 216 dog sera, carried out by an ELISA test using the strictly related bovine coronavirus (BCoV) as antigen, revealed an overall CRCoV seroprevalence of 32.06% in the last 2 years. RT-PCR targeting the S-gene of CRCoV was carried out on 109 lung samples collected from carcasses of dogs submitted for diagnostic investigations. Positive results were obtained from the lungs of a dog of the Apulia region that was co-infected with canine parvovirus type 2. Sequence analysis of the S-gene fragment amplified by RT-PCR (595bp) showed similarity to group II coronaviruses, with the highest nucleotide identity (98%) to the only CRCoV strain currently available in the GenBank database (strain T101). The results of the present study show that CRCoV is present also in continental Europe, although further studies are required to determine the real pathogenic potential of the virus.     

Action of disinfectants on canine coronavirus replication in vitro

Canine coronavirus (CCoV) is responsible for enteric disease in pups. Infected dogs generally have a rapid recovery, so the virus is highly contagious and the spread of infection is difficult to control. Chemical disinfectants have been widely used in human disease-control programmes to prevent viral infectious diseases from spreading, but to date, there are no studies in the literature on the sensitivity of CCoV to chemical biocides. The present study investigated the sensitivity of CCoV to disinfectants currently used for prophylaxis in kennel and dog breeding locations. The effects of three agents: alkyl-dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride and didecyl-dimethyl-ammonium chloride, on the infectivity titre of CCoV in A72 cell lines, were studied at different concentrations. Although they may regard a small number of agents, the findings showed that the sensitivity of CCoV to disinfectants varies and the differences are dose correlated. In general, virus inactivation implies a permanent loss of infectivity which can be evaluated in suspensions and hand disinfection tests.