Haemagglutination-based Detection of Canine Parvovirus in Faecal Samples from Dogs and Jackals

Abstract

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a highly contagious pathogen of domestic and wild canids and is associated with acute enteritis, dehydration, and substantial morbidity in young animals. This study evaluated faecal samples from dogs and jackals for CPV-compatible haemagglutinating activity using the haemagglutination (HA) test. Rectal swabs from 111 diarrhoeic dogs and 10 jackal scat samples were processed as 10% faecal suspensions. Twofold serial dilutions of each sample were tested in U-bottom microtitre plates using a 2% suspension of porcine erythrocytes, and the highest dilution showing a mat or lattice pattern was recorded as the HA titre. Among the dog samples, 52 of 111 (46.84%) were HA-positive, with titres ranging from 1:2 to 1:2048. The most frequent titre was 1:4, observed in 10 samples, whereas the highest titre of 1:2048 occurred in two female Labrador Retrievers. Among the jackal samples, 9 of 10 (90%) were HA-positive, with titres ranging from 1:4 to 1:64; four samples had a titre of 1:16. These findings demonstrate CPV-compatible haemagglutinating activity in the tested domestic dog and jackal samples. However, HA does not confirm viral identity, genotype, infectivity, or transmission between host species. Molecular confirmation, sequencing, and broader epidemiological sampling are therefore required before population-level or interspecies transmission conclusions can be drawn.