Canine coronavirus diagnosis: virologic and serologic techniques

The antibody detection against CCoV can be performed by virus neutralization (VN) and ELISA. A recently developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, was found to be more sensitive than the VN test, even though the antigen prepared from CCoV infected cells might yield variable results. On the contrary, the ELISA with a recombinant M protein (rMP) of CCoV type II can be considered an alternative diagnostic method for antibody detection. The demonstrated wide dissemination of CCoV type I in the dog population emphasizes the need for detailed investigation of the serological relationship between the two genotypes. Considering that CCoV type I has not been cultivated in cell cultures, two recombinant polypeptides of the S glycoprotein of CCoV type I were employed to develop an ELISA for the detection of CCoV type I antibodies. The virological diagnosis of CCoV requires laboratory confirmation. The diagnostic techniques employed for the detection of CCoV in faecal samples include electron microscopy (EM), isolation in cell cultures (VI) and biotechnologies, such RT-PCR and Real Time PCR. The high sensitivity, simplicity and reproducibility of the fluorogenic RT-PCR assays make these methods suitable for laboratory confirmation and efficacy trials on CCoV vaccines