title: Virological and serological findings in dogs with naturally occurring distemper.
abstract: Canine distemper virus (CDV) is the cause of a severe and highly contagious disease in dogs. The unpredictable and variable course of CDV-related disease may hamper correct diagnosis of infection and makes it crucial the collection of samples suitable for laboratory confirmation. In the present study we were able to follow the disease in two dogs infected naturally, collecting different biological matrices during the entire period of infection. By real time RT-PCR, viral RNA was detected and quantified, suggesting that urine and rectal swabs would be useful for ante-mortem diagnosis of distemper in dogs, regardless of the clinical stage and form of the illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. Electronic address: gabriella.elia@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elia
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camero
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losurdo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Stella
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lucente
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Larocca
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martella
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Decaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Canio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buonavoglia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004216:Distemper / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D004217:Distemper Virus, Canine / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012007:Rectum / Q000821:virology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014556:Urine / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Canine distemper virus; Diagnosis; Dog; Real time RT-PCR