Review article

The emergence of parvoviruses of carnivores

Baker Institute for Animal Health, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hungerford Hill Road, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

^* Corresponding author: crp3@cornell.edu

Received: 11 November 2009
Accepted: 10 February 2010

Abstract

The emergence of canine parvovirus (CPV) represents a well-documented example highlighting the emergence of a new virus through cross-species transmission. CPV emerged in the mid-1970s as a new pathogen of dogs and has since become endemic in the global dog population. Despite widespread vaccination, CPV has remained a widespread disease of dogs, and new genetic and antigenic variants have arisen and sometimes reached high frequency in certain geographic regions or throughout the world. Here we review our understanding of this emergence event and contrast it to what is known about the emergence of a disease in mink caused by mink enteritis virus (MEV). In addition, we summarize the evolution of CPV over the past 30 years in the global dog population, and describe the epidemiology of contemporary parvovirus infections of dogs and cats. CPV represents a valuable model for understanding disease emergence through cross-species transmission, while MEV provides an interesting comparison.