Studies on the survival of canine coronavirus under different environmental conditions.

Canine coronavirus (CCV) is a common faecal agent which is difficult to isolate. This study shows CCV to survive well at temperatures below -20 degrees C but not at temperatures above 4 degrees C. The presence of faecal material markedly reduced CCV survival times at temperatures ranging from 20 degrees C to -70 degrees C. Thus, it is suggested that diagnostic faecal material should be diluted 1:10 (w/v) with growth medium and examined at the earliest opportunity.