Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New astrovirus found in puppies with diarrhea
By Toffan, Anna et al.·Published in Veterinary microbiology·2009·Research and Development Department, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Genetic characterization of a new astrovirus detected in dogs suffering from diarrhoea.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of puppies suffering from diarrhea were found to have a new type of virus called canine astrovirus. This virus was confirmed through genetic testing, which showed it is related to other astroviruses found in humans and other animals. The discovery helps to better understand the causes of diarrhea in young dogs and could lead to better treatments in the future. While specific treatments for this virus were not detailed, knowing its genetic makeup is a step towards addressing the health issues it causes in puppies.
People also search for: puppy diarrhea causes · dog diarrhea treatment · what is canine astrovirus · symptoms of dog diarrhea
Abstract
Astroviruses have been described in several animals species frequently associated with diarrhoea, especially in young animals. In dogs, astrovirus-like particles have been observed sporadically and very little is known about their epidemiology and characteristics. In this paper, we describe the detection of astrovirus-like particles in symptomatic puppies. Furthermore, for the first time in this species, the presumptive identification made by electron microscopy was confirmed by genetic analysis of the viral RNA conducted directly on the clinical specimens. Genetic sequences of ORF2 (2443 nt), encoding for the capsid protein, and partial sequence of ORF1b (346 nt), encoding for the viral polymerase, identified the viruses as member of the family Astroviridae. The phylogenetic analysis clearly clustered canine astroviruses in the genus Mamastrovirus. Relative closest similarities were revealed with a cluster comprising human, porcine and feline astroviruses, based on the ORF2 sequences available. Based on the species definition for astroviruses and on the data obtained in this study, we suggest a new species of astrovirus - canine astrovirus, CaAstV - to be included in the genus Mamastrovirus.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19477085/