title: Isolation, tissue distribution and molecular characterization of two recombinant canine coronavirus strains.
abstract: Canine coronavirus (CCoV) is an enveloped RNA virus, responsible for gastrointestinal infection in dogs. To date, two different CCoV genotypes have been recognized, CCoV type I and CCoV type II. Recently, CCoV type II strains of potential recombinant origin with transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) were detected and characterized as a new subtype (CCoV-IIb) of canine coronavirus, in order to be differentiated from the "classical" CCoV type II strains (CCoV-IIa). In the present study, two CCoV-IIb strains were detected in the faeces and internal organs of two puppies, which died after presenting gastrointestinal symptoms. Mixed infection of both subtypes (CCoV-IIa/IIb) was detected in the faeces, while only CCoV-IIb was detected in the organs. Puppies were also infected by canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2). Both CCoV-IIb strains were isolated on cell cultures and subjected to sequence analysis and phylogeny. By means of RT-PCR and real time RT-PCR assays, tissue distribution and quantitation of viral loads took place. These cases represent the first description of tissue distribution and quantitation of CCoV-IIb strains, detected in the organs. The detection of CCoV-IIa strains, which is restricted to the faeces, suggests that CCoV-IIb strains may have an advantage in disseminating throughout a dog with CPV-2 coinfection, in contrast to common enteric CCoV-IIa strains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Faculty of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece. vasilisntafis@hotmail.com
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ntafis
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mari
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Decaro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Papanastassopoulou
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papaioannou
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mpatziou
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buonavoglia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Xylouri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017939:Coronavirus, Canine / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D004285:Dogs; D004751:Enteritis / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005838:Genotype; D017993:Parvovirus, Canine / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral