Comparison of immunochromatographic rapid test with molecular method in diagnosis of canine parvovirus

BACKGROUND: Canine parvovirus (CPV) infection is one ofthe most common causes of infectious gastroenteritis in dogs andis a highly contagious, often fatal disease. The original virus(CPV type 2) has had some mutations since its emergence andnew variants (CPV-2a, 2b and 2c) have been reported from manycountries all around the world. Early diagnosis and treatment canprofoundly affect the disease outcome. OBJECTIVES:To comparethe ability of Immunochromatographic (IC) test to detect CPVinfection in 50 PCR positive samples (n=50) with regard to virusstrains. METHODS: 50 rectal swabs (n=50) were prepared fromsuspicious dogs and subjected to PCR and IC test respectively.RESULTS: The sensitivity of IC test in PCR positive samples was84% (42 out of 50 samples) and the positive predictive value ofthe test was 100%. Using PCR, CPV strains in our study were 2a(18/50, 36%) and 2b (32/50, 64%) with the predominance of 2bstrain. IC test was also able to diagnose 15/18 (83.3%) of CPV-2a and 27/32 (84.3%) CPV-2b strain positive samples, whichmeans IC test can detect CPV infections caused by both virusstrains (2a and 2b), without significant difference. CONCLUSIONS:This study shows that IC test results are relatively reliable fordiagnosing CPVinfection in daily veterinary practice and the testis able to diagnose both CPV-2a and CPV-2b which are prevalentstrains in Iran.