Epidemiology of canine parvovirus infection in and around Pantnagar, Uttarakhand: A retrospective study

Abstract

In India, Canine Parvovirus Infection is an endemic viral disease-causing severe gastroenteritis and significant numbers of deaths in puppies, even in vaccinated populations. A retrospective study was conducted between June, 2021 and June, 2022 in and around Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, in which cases of gastro-enteritis were screened for canine parvovirus infection. A total of 258 cases out of 627 cases presented for gastro-enteritis were found to be positive for canine parvovirus based on Rapid Antigen Tests and Polymerase Chain Reaction with a prevalence rate of 41.15%. Data associated with factors such as age, breed, sex, season, immunisation and relocation stress were recorded. Mongrels were found to be the most affected among various breeds, with a prevalence rate of 51.16%, followed by the exotic breed Labrador retriever (9.68%). Males (63.57%) were more found to be affected more than females (34.43%). As for age, prevalence was higher in the age group of 3-6 months (43.40%), followed by less than 3 months of age (31.40%) respectively. Considering other risk factors such as season, vaccination status and relocation stress, prevalence was seen to be higher in to be higher comparatively in spring (33.33%) and winter (29.07%); also, higher prevalence in non-vaccinated (63.13%) and about 25.19% of the animals which were relocated recently were found to be infected with canine parvovirus.