Canine viral enteritis: Prevalence of parvo-, corona- and rotavirus infections in dogs in the Netherlands

Summary After a brief review of the present knowledge about canine viral enteritis, the role played by parvoviral, coronaviral and rotaviral infections in contagious diarrhoea in dogs in the Netherlands is discussed. For this purpose a serologic survey, pathologic findings in dogs, and the demonstration of parvoviral antigen with an immunofluorescence test and with a newly developed haemadsorption-elution-haemagglutination assay (HEHA) are presented. It is concluded that infections with canine parvovirus, coronavirus and rotavirus appear widespread among dog populations in the Netherlands.