Characterization of a strain of feline calicivirus isolated from a dog faecal sample

Barbara Di Martino , Camillo Di Rocco , Chiara Ceci , Fulvio Marsilio

To expand the epidemiological understanding of feline calicivirus (FCV) in dogs, genotypic and phenotypic characterizations of a FCV strain isolated from a puppy showing enteritis were performed. After isolation in cell culture, the novel isolate was analysed by RT-PCR and the amplicons obtained were sequenced. In order to characterize the growth properties of the isolate, the size of the plaques, the temperature of inactivation and the kinetics of growth were evaluated Moreover, the novel strain was used to perform a serological study on 86 canine serum samples and 81 feline sera by virus-neutralization assay. The comparative analysis of nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the isolate, named FCV Te/10/07, revealed the highest identity to strain FCV-F65. The growth kinetic revealed that strain Te/10/07 grew more rapidily than F9 strain.. By virus neutralization assay, dogs from the same region of the isolate showed antibodies against the FCV-F9 vaccinal strain in 63.9% (55/86) of sera, while antibodies against the Te/10/07 were found in 7 sera (8.13%). In cats neutralizing antibodies against Te/10/07 strain were recovered in 50.62% (41/81) of samples tested, even if 38 sera were positives for F9 strain with similar titres or higher. In three cats neutralization to Te/10/07 alone was seen.

Mots clés: Dog; feline calicivirus; Isolation; Characterization; Serology

Barbara Di Martino, Camillo Di Rocco, Chiara Ceci, Fulvio Marsilio. Characterization of a strain of feline calicivirus isolated from a dog faecal sample. Veterinary Microbiology, 2009, 139 (1-2), pp.52. ⟨10.1016/j.vetmic.2009.04.033⟩. ⟨hal-00520657⟩