Comparison of polymerase chain reaction with virus isolation and haemagglutination assays for the detection of canine parvoviruses in faecal specimens.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, which specifically amplifies the capsid gene of canine parvovirus (CPV), was compared as a diagnostic method for detecting CPV in faeces, with virus isolation (VI) on Crandell feline kidney (CRFK) or Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, and a faecal haemagglutination (HA) assay confirmed by inhibition with a CPV-specific antiserum. Although a false-negative result was obtained in one of 59 faecal samples (1.7 per cent) tested by the PCR assay, it was as sensitive as the VI assay using MDCK cells, and more sensitive than the VI assay using CRFK cells or the HA assay. These results indicate that the PCR assay may be useful as a routine diagnostic method for detecting CPV in faecal specimens.