EPIZOOTIOLOGICAL FACTORS OF CANINE RESPIRATORY CORONAVIRUS INFECTION IN CROATIA

Virus CRCoV, iz porodice betakoronavirusa, prvi je puta opisan početkom 21. stoljeća u Ujedinjenom Kraljevstvu kod pasa smještenih u skloništu za nezbrinute životinje koji su imali kliničke znakove CIRDC. Do danas virus je opisan diljem svijeta te se najčešće povezuje s ranom fazom CIRDC. Glavno mjesto umnažanja CRCoV je dišni sustav, stoga se pretpostavlja da se virus širi izlučevinama dišnog sustava, a širenju doprinose mjesta gdje se nalazi mnogo pasa, poput skloništa za životinje, izložbi za pse i slično. Ovo je prvo istraživanje u Republici Hrvatskoj u kojem je virus CRCoV bio istraživan. U ovom istraživanju korišteni su obrisci nosa i ždrijela 258 pasa od kojih je dio imao kliničke znakove oboljenja dišnog sustava. Obrisci su zaprimljeni u Virološkom laboratoriju Zavoda za mikrobiologiju i zarazne bolesti s klinikom Veterinarskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, te su se 2019. i 2021. godine obrisci skupljali u Skloništu za nezbrinute životinje grada Zagreba ''Dumovec''. Uzorkovanje i prikupljanje podataka trajalo je od 2018. do 2021. godine. Virus CRCoV je dokazan u 3,87% pretraživanih pasa. Infekcija je bila znatno češća u pasa u skloništu za životinje, u odnosu na vlasničke pse, a prevalencija je u 2019. godini bila čak 20%. Spol i dob nisu imali značajan utjecaj na rezultate RT - PCR pretrage. Zanimljivo, CRCoV je češće bio dokazan kod pasa bez kliničkih znakova oboljenja dišnog sustava čime se može zaključiti da CRCoV nije značajan kao samostalan uzročnik dišnih bolesti pasa odnosno CIRDC. Potrebno je nastaviti pratiti pojavnost CRCoV i njegovu ulogu u patogenezi CIRDC s obzirom da je CIRDC jedna od najčešćih zaraznih bolesti pasa.The CRCoV virus, from the beta-coronavirus family, was first described in the early 21st century. It was diagnosed in dogs with CIRDC in the shelter in the United Kingdom. The virus has been described worldwide and is most commonly associated with early-stage of CIRDC. The principal place of viral replication is the respiratory system, and it is assumed that the virus spreads via the respiratory tract excretions. Places where dog density is high, such as animal shelters, dog shows and similar, contribute to the spread of the virus. This study is the first study in Croatia in which the CRCoV virus was investigated. The study included nasal and pharyngeal swabs of 258 healthy dogs and dogs with respiratory disease. These swabs were submitted to the Virology Laboratory of the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with the Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb. Additionally, dogs at the shelter for abandoned animals of the City of Zagreb ''Dumovec'' were sampled in 2019 and 2021. CRCoV virus was detected in 3.87% of tested dogs. There was a significantly higher infection rate in dogs from the animal shelter than privately owned dogs. In 2019 prevalence in shelter dogs was as high as 20%. Gender and age did not significantly affect RT - PCR test results. Interestingly, CRCoV has been more frequently detected in dogs without clinical signs of respiratory disease, which leads to the conclusion that CRCoV is not significant as an independent cause of respiratory diseases in dogs. It is necessary to continue monitoring the occurrence of CRCoV and its role in the pathogenesis of CIRDC, given that CIRDC is one of the most common infectious diseases in dogs