Canine flu strain goes back to 1999
Published: March 20, 2008 at 10:26 PM
GAINESVILLE, Fla., March 20 (UPI) -- Canine influenza, a highly contagious virus in which nearly 80 percent of dogs exposed become infected, has been circulating since 1999, a U.S. study found.
"We have demonstrated the virus was in the greyhound population as early as 1999 and we speculate it was likely introduced sometime before that," study leader Tara Anderson of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine said in a statement.
The researchers say canine influenza -- caused by H3N8 influenza virus and thought to be related to the virus that causes equine influenza -- has two clinical syndromes. The first form is a mild upper respiratory tract infection and the second, more severe, form is marked by pneumonia and has a fatality rate of 5 percent to 8 percent.
Most affected dogs have the mild form.
Anderson and colleagues were able to trace the virus to respiratory outbreaks of unknown origin prior to 2004 by testing greyhound blood samples for 1999 to 2004 for antibodies to both the canine and equine influenza viruses. The samples were kept by an animal blood bank in California that uses retired greyhounds as donors.
The research findings were presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.
"We have demonstrated the virus was in the greyhound population as early as 1999 and we speculate it was likely introduced sometime before that," study leader Tara Anderson of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine said in a statement.
The researchers say canine influenza -- caused by H3N8 influenza virus and thought to be related to the virus that causes equine influenza -- has two clinical syndromes. The first form is a mild upper respiratory tract infection and the second, more severe, form is marked by pneumonia and has a fatality rate of 5 percent to 8 percent.
Most affected dogs have the mild form.
Anderson and colleagues were able to trace the virus to respiratory outbreaks of unknown origin prior to 2004 by testing greyhound blood samples for 1999 to 2004 for antibodies to both the canine and equine influenza viruses. The samples were kept by an animal blood bank in California that uses retired greyhounds as donors.
The research findings were presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.
© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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