Comparison of different diagnostic methods in detection of canine parvovirus infection

Aim: The study is to compare sensitivity and specificity rates of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunochromatographic assay (IC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests which are widely used to diagnose CPV-2 infections of dogs with severe gastroenteritis symptoms. Materials and Methods: The stool samples were collected from 100 unvaccinated dogs with gastroenteritis symptoms. They were analyzed by ELISA and IC test kits for CPV-2. Also, the samples were investigated by PCR assay using the CPV-2 primer set amplify partial of VP2 gene to determine sensitivity and specificity of the tests. Results: The sensitivity of IC was 36,6% and of ELISA was 24,2% compared to the PCR test. Also, both tests had 100% specificity. The IC test, and ELISA results were determined statistically different according to PCR (p <0.05). Conclusion: The ELISA and IC assays had low sensitivity. Therefore, the tests can give false negative results in puppies with gastroenteritis symptoms and this situation can increase the spread of the disease. In conclusion, the negative determined samples by IC and ELISA methods should be verified by PCR and detailed studies should be carried out to increase the sensitivity of these tests.