Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common are respiratory infections in healthy shelter dogs
By Lavan, R & Knesl, O·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2015·Outcomes Research, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of canine infectious respiratory pathogens in asymptomatic dogs presented at US animal shelters.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that nearly half of the healthy dogs at animal shelters tested positive for respiratory pathogens that can cause illness, even though they showed no symptoms. Out of 503 dogs, 240 were found to carry at least one of these pathogens, with Mycoplasma cynos and Bordetella bronchiseptica being the most common. This highlights that even dogs that appear healthy can still be carriers of diseases that may affect other dogs. It's important for pet owners to be aware of this, especially if they adopt a dog from a shelter.
People also search for: dog respiratory infection symptoms · healthy dog kennel cough · adopting a dog from a shelter
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of nine canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) pathogens in asymptomatic dogs presented at animal shelters across the United States. METHODS: Ocular and oronasal swabs from asymptomatic dogs (n = 503) were tested using qPCR assay for Bordetella bronchiseptica, canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV), canine herpesvirus type 1 (CHV), canine influenza virus (CIV), canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV), canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV), Mycoplasma cynos and Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus. RESULTS: A total of 240 (47.7%) asymptomatic dogs were PCR-positive for at least one CIRD pathogen. Prevalence of two-, three-, four-, and five-pathogen cases was 12.7, 3.8, 1.8, and 0.4%, respectively. Mycoplasma cynos (29.2%), B. bronchiseptica (19.5%), CAV-2 (12.5%), CDV (7.4%) and CPIV (3.2%) were the most commonly detected pathogens. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The prevalence of traditional and newly emerging pathogens associated with CIRD is poorly defined in clinically healthy dogs. This study determined that a high percentage of asymptomatic shelter dogs harbor CIRD pathogens, including the newly emerging pathogen M. cynos and the historically prevalent pathogen B. bronchiseptica.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26199194/