Med. Weter. 72 (1), 7-11, 2016
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| Kowalczyk M., Jakubczak A. |
| Prospects for the use of molecular methods in the diagnosis of parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) in representatives of the Canidae family |
| Parvovirus infection is a viral disease mainly affecting young dogs, in which its course is often fatal. Despite the existence of vaccines, parvovirus remains a significant problem for dog owners. Given the ease with which the virus is disseminated, the most effective method of preventing its spread seems to be rapid and effective diagnosis. Serological methods still play the most important role in the diagnosis of parvovirus infection, but the dynamic growth of molecular biology offers hope for the increasingly widespread use of techniques enabling the detection of viral material. In recent years impressive progress has been made in this area. The PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method, which until recently was still regarded as unavailable in many diagnostic centers, is now becoming standard. Apart from ordinary amplification, numerous modifications have emerged, enabling substantial reductions in the time of the analysis, improved sensitivity and specificity, and monitoring of the reaction in real time. Due to the development of sequencing and bioinformatics, information can be obtained on an increasing number of viral genomes and on how changes in nucleotide and amino acid sequences are linked to pathogenicity. Knowledge of nucleotide sequences and phylogenetic analyses make it possible to trace the evolution of viruses and their flow between host populations. Molecular methods seem to be the future not only of CPV-2 diagnosis, in which it is becoming increasingly common, but in virology as a whole. Owing to molecular techniques it is becoming possible to detect a pathogen at the level of just a few copies, in the early stages of infection, avoiding the limitations of the serological window. The continuing tendency towards simplification of methods, improved sensitivity and specificity, and lower costs may allow classical methods to be supplemented or even replaced by methods of molecular biology. |
| Key words: CPV-2, molecular diagnostics, PCR, sequencing |