Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Canine parvovirus antibody levels in Northern Italy breeding dogs
By Rota, Ada et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2019·Department of Veterinary Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serological survey of canine parvovirus 2 antibody titres in breeding kennels in northern Italy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 370 dogs in breeding kennels in Northern Italy to check their protection against canine parvovirus 2, a serious viral infection. They found that only 4.6% of the dogs were unprotected, indicating that most had good immunity from their vaccinations. The researchers noted that the longer it had been since a dog was vaccinated, the lower their antibody levels were, but this didn't vary by the dog's sex. The findings support the recommendation that adult dogs should be revaccinated every three years to maintain protection against this virus.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend parvovirus revaccination of adult dogs no more frequently than every 3 years. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dogs showing protective serum antibody titres against canine parvovirus 2 in breeding kennels in Northern Italy and to assess the effect of time from vaccination and the sex of the dog on antibody titres. The study was carried out on 370 animals of different breeds kept in 33 breeding kennels. Antibodies to canine parvovirus 2 in serum samples were measured with an indirect immunoenzymatic assay validated by the manufacturer in relation to the 'gold standard' haemagglutination inhibition test. The number of months that had elapsed since the last vaccination was calculated for each animal and categorized into the following classes: < 12 months; 13-24 months; 25-36 months; 37-48 months; and > 49 months. RESULTS: The prevalence of 'unprotected' dogs was 4.6%. A satisfactory solid herd immunity was present in the majority of breeding kennels, although some vaccination failures were detected. A significant negative correlation was found between antibody titre and months since last vaccination. Comparable antibody titres were found in the first 3 years after vaccination. Although the antibody titre over time was not affected by the sex of the dog, 'unprotected' females had been vaccinated more recently than males with analogous low titres. CONCLUSIONS: Parvovirus revaccination of adult dogs every 3 years, as currently recommended, is also the appropriate recommendation for breeding kennels. Serological tests could be a useful tool to assess the effectiveness of vaccination.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31533724/