Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
When parvovirus diagnosis is difficult in dogs and cats
By Marenzoni, Maria Luisa et al.·Published in Veterinaria italiana·2020·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: When the diagnosis of parvovirus in dogs and cats becomes challenging.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 96 dogs and 48 cats suspected of having parvovirus infection (PVI) were studied to see how often veterinarians misdiagnosed the illness. The research found that in about 36% of cases, the initial diagnosis was incorrect, especially in older cats and pets showing unusual or mild symptoms. The study emphasized the importance of thorough testing, particularly for younger dogs and during necropsies, to ensure accurate diagnosis. Improving awareness of PVI in atypical cases could help prevent missed diagnoses and improve treatment outcomes.
People also search for: dog parvovirus symptoms · cat parvovirus diagnosis · why is my cat vomiting · dog parvovirus treatment · signs of parvovirus in puppies
Abstract
Parvoviruses (PV) can cause outbreaks with high morbidity and mortality in dogs and cats. Even if typical cases exist in puppies and kittens, PV infection (PVI) can have many different clinical presentations, making the laboratory support necessary. The aim of this work was to evaluate retrospectively the frequency of misdiagnoses, particularly missed diagnoses, of PVI in 144 suspected cases (88 clinical cases and 56 necropsies) involving 96 dogs and 48 cats. A nested PCR test was chosen as the gold standard. An index of diagnostic suspicion (IDS) for PVI, based on parameters reported upon submittal of the samples, was introduced to classify the initial diagnoses issued by veterinarians. The agreement between the IDS of PVI and PCR results was calculated. The effect of species, age and clinical versus necroscopic presentation was evaluated by logistic regression. In 63.6% of the cases, the IDS was confirmed by the PCR, whereas in 36.4% there was a missed diagnosis or a diagnosis wrongly attributed to PVI. More accurate results were obtained for dogs, animals aged < 1 year, and necropsies. Parvovirus infection should be better investigated in patients with atypical or few clinical signs, in particular in cats and animals over 1 year old.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33382230/