Recombinant Canine Coronaviruses in Dogs, Europe

• Main Authors: Nicola Decaro, Viviana Mari, Gabriella Elia, Diane D. Addie, Michele Camero, Maria Stella Lucente, Vito Martella, Canio Buonavoglia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010-01-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Canine coronavirus; recombinant strains; Europe; genetic analysis; research
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/16/1/09-0726_article

Coronaviruses of potential recombinant origin with porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), referred to as a new subtype (IIb) of canine coronavirus (CCoV), were recently identified in dogs in Europe. To assess the distribution of the TGEV-like CCoV subtype, during 2001–2008 we tested fecal samples from dogs with gastroenteritis. Of 1,172 samples, 493 (42.06%) were positive for CCoV. CCoV-II was found in 218 samples, and CCoV-I and CCoV-II genotypes were found in 182. Approximately 20% of the samples with CCoV-II had the TGEV-like subtype; detection rates varied according to geographic origin. The highest and lowest rates of prevalence for CCoV-II infection were found in samples from Hungary and Greece (96.87% and 3.45%, respectively). Sequence and phylogenetic analyses showed that the CCoV-IIb strains were related to prototype TGEV-like strains in the 5′ and the 3′ ends of the spike protein gene.