First report of canine Astrovirus and Sapovirus in Greece, hosting both asymptomatic and gastroenteritis symptomatic dogs

Efthymia Stamelou; Ioannis A Giantsis; Konstantinos V Papageorgiou; Evanthia Petridou; Irit Davidson; Zoe S Polizopοulou; Anna Papa; Spyridon K Kritas

doi:10.1186/s12985-022-01787-1

First report of canine Astrovirus and Sapovirus in Greece, hosting both asymptomatic and gastroenteritis symptomatic dogs

Virol J. 2022 Mar 31;19(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s12985-022-01787-1.

Authors

Efthymia Stamelou¹, Ioannis A Giantsis², Konstantinos V Papageorgiou¹, Evanthia Petridou¹, Irit Davidson³, Zoe S Polizopοulou¹, Anna Papa⁴, Spyridon K Kritas¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
² Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Macedonia, 53100, Florina, Greece. igiants@agro.auth.gr.
³ Kimron Veterinary Institute, 50250, Bet Dagan, Israel.
⁴ Laboratory of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Abstract

Background: Astrovirus, Norovirus and Sapovirus are widely distributed viruses in humans and animals worldwide. They have frequently been associated with disease, mainly of gastroenteric nature. In dogs, these viruses have been detected both in symptomatic and asymptomatic animals, mainly of young age.

Methods: In the present epidemiologic study, we investigated the presence of canine Astrovirus (CAstV), canine Norovirus (canine NoV) and canine Sapovirus (Canine SaV) in saliva and stools of 201 domestic dogs originating from throughout Greece, based on two different molecular methods, i.e. conventional and SYBR-Green Real-time RT-PCR. The samples derived from young and adult asymptomatic and symptomatic animals. CAstV was detected in 15/201 (7.5%) and 29/201 (15%) of the examined dogs using conventional RT-PCR and SYBR-Green Real time RT-PCR, respectively.

Results: The prevalence of the virus was higher at healthy dogs, with a slight discrepancy of the two methods on the aspect of age (67% young dogs with the method of conventional RT-PCR, versus 52% adult positive dogs with the method of SYBR-Green Real-time RT-PCR). Canine SaV was detected in 52/201 (23%) of the dogs (mainly young and asymptomatic), with the method of SYBR-Green Real-time RT-PCR only, while canine NoV was not detected in any sample with either of the two methods applied. Sequencing of the CAstV positive samples resulted in the acquisition of one CAstV sequence. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the results, clustering the CAstV sequence with homologous canine hosting sequences from other countries.

Conclusions: CAstV and Canine SaV were proved to circulate in Greek dogs. SYBR-Green Real time RT-PCR showed greater sensitivity in the detection of these viruses. Additionally, we were able to specify the CAstV strain that circulates in Greece, through phylogenetic analysis. To our knowledge, this is the first epidemiological study of CAstV and canine SaV in dogs in Greece, as well as the first time detected in dogs from Greece.

Keywords: Astrovirus; Canine; Circulation; Diarrhea; Dog; Molecular techniques; Norovirus; Sapovirus.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Dogs
Gastroenteritis* / diagnosis
Gastroenteritis* / epidemiology
Gastroenteritis* / veterinary
Greece / epidemiology
Mamastrovirus*
Phylogeny
Sapovirus* / genetics