title: M gene evolution of canine coronavirus in naturally infected dogs.
abstract: Two stray pups (A and B), three and five months old, respectively, both naturally infected with canine coronavirus (CCoV), were studied for 180 days. The virus was detected intermittently in the pups' faeces by PCR for periods of 156 and 146 days, respectively. Sequence analysis of a fragment of the gene encoding the M protein revealed that the viruses detected at the onset of the infection were very similar to typical strains of CCoV, whereas from 42 days after infection in pup A and 40 days after infection in pup B the viruses had nucleotide and amino acid mutations resembling sequences in feline coronavirus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Health and Wellbeing, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, S.p. per Casamassima km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pratelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elia
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martella
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tinelli
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Decaro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marsilio
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buonavoglia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tempesta
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buonavoglia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000662:veterinary*; D017939:Coronavirus, Canine / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D004285:Dogs; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction