title: Detection and characterization of canine astroviruses.
abstract: Astroviruses (AstVs) have been identified only occasionally in dogs. A canine AstV, strain Bari/08/ITA, was detected from a pup with gastroenteric signs and the virus was isolated in cell culture and characterized molecularly. In the full-length capsid protein, the virus displayed genetic similarities (83.5 % aa identity) to another canine AstV strain, although a high rate of variation occurred in the hypervariable domain, which is related to AstV antigenic specificity. Specific antibodies were detected in the convalescent dog, indicating seroconversion, and in 59 % of a collection of dog serum samples. Using primers specific for canine AstV, designed to detect a conserved region of ORF1b, canine AstVs were detected in 24.5 % of young pups with gastroenteritis, either alone or in mixed infections with other canine pathogens. In contrast, AstVs were detected in only 9.3 % of asymptomatic pups. These findings indicate that canine AstVs are common in dogs and may suggest a possible role as canine enteric pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martella
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Paschalina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moschidou
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lorusso
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mari
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camero
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Annalucia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellacicco
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losurdo
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierfrancesco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Costantina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Desario
authors.affiliation: Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bányai
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elia
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Decaro
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Canio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buonavoglia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019200:Astroviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D004285:Dogs; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny