Detection and molecular characterization of canine Coronavirus in dogs with lower respiratory tract infection

ABSTRACT

Coronaviruses in the family Coronaviridae cause digestive and respiratory system infections in humans and animals. There are two subtypes of canine coronaviruses (CCoV), which are included in the alfacoronavirus, as CCoV I and CCoV II. CCoV-II is divided into two genotypes, CCoV-IIa and IIb. Although CCoV affects dogs of all ages and all diets, newborn puppies can be particularly susceptible and severely affected. According to the literature research, no molecular studies have been found in our country for the detection of canine coronavirus, especially in lower respiratory tract infections. In this study, it was aimed to detect and molecular characterization of CCoV un shelter dogs with lower respiratory tract infection. For this purpose, Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) fluids taken from 40 shelter dogs with lower respiratory tract infections were examined. CCoV was detected in 3 of the BAL fluids of 40 dogs tested. A phylogenetic tree was constructed with the sequences obtained after the sequence analysis. It was determined that 2 of the 3 positive samples in the phylogenetic tree were CCoV-I and one sample was CCoV-II. In conclusion, this study revealed that CCoV-I and CCoV-II may play a role in lower respiratory system disorders of shelter dogs. In addition, the detection of two different CCoVs in different animals in the same shelter has been considered as an important data, and the detection of both types in dogs housed in crowded environments such as shelter conditions shows that the possibility of new variants or subtypes that may occur in the future should not be ignored.