Molecular Detection of Canine Parainfluenza Virus Circulation among Home-owned Dogs in Shiraz, Iran

One of the major agents of infectious tracheobronchitis in dogs is canine parainfluinza virus (CPiV) which is known to cause acute-onset and highly transmissible cough. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of CPI infection in dogs referred to the Veterinary Clinic of Shiraz University in 2013–2014. Nasal and tracheal swabs were taken from 30 apparently healthy dogs without respiratory signs and 50 sick dogs with clinical respiratory signs. Full set of characteristics including age, sex, breed, contact with other dogs, place of keeping, respiratory and general symptoms were recorded. The molecular detection of canine parainfluenza virus by semi nested reverse transcriptase PCR were performed and further confirmed by nucleotide sequencing of the last products. The results showed that the occurrence of CPiV infection in healthy dogs was 13.33% whereas it was 20% in dogs with respiratory signs. The sequencing and nucleotide blast showed no variation among determined sequences. The occurrence was higher in non-vaccinated and outdoor dogs. This study is the first attempt to detect CPiV infection in Fars province, Iran and the data obtained may be useful for outbreak preventions and to raise awareness of potential transmission of the disease to the small animals in the area.