Detection of canine parvovirus 2: A comparison of conventional polymerase chain reaction and hamagglutination test

Several laboratory techniques have been adopted for detection of canine parvovirus (CPV) but the big question has been on their accuracy, speed, cost and availability. This study was meant to compare conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and haemagglutination (HA) test in the detection of CPV-2. PCR targeted the VP2 gene while HA targeted the haemagglutinin all in the virus. 113 samples comprising 80 rectal swabs and 33 necropsy tissues from dogs showing symptoms that were suggestive of parvovirus enteritis were collected from veterinary clinics in Jos. HA test detected the virus in 86 (76.11%) of the samples while PCR confirmed the virus in 62 (54.87%) of the total samples. Information from questionnaires administered revealed that only 23 dogs had been vaccinated against the agent, 79 dogs had not been vaccinated while 11 were uncertain about the vaccination status of the dogs. Interestingly, HA test revealed that 17 (73.91%) of the already vaccinated dogs had the virus while PCR detected the agent in 14 (60.87%) of these dogs. All PCR-positive samples were also positive by HA test but not all HA-positive tests were positive by PCR technique. Chi-square analysis showed that there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the results of HA test and PCR. These findings have confirmed that HA test could be employed for the preliminary screening of the agent in less endowed facilities in view of its low financial cost, turnover time and sensitivity.