Faecal PCR panel results and clinical findings in Western Australian dogs with diarrhoea

Abstract

Aim To describe faecal PCR (fPCR) results and clinical findings of dogs seen at a university teaching hospital for diarrhoea.

Zoonotic potential and prevalence of Salmonella serovars isolated from pets

“…Faecal samples were solicited from different geographically dispersed veterinary laboratories in the US. This study confirmed statistically higher prevalence in diarrheic dogs (3.8%) than in non-diarrheic dogs (1.8%) [104], which is in concordance with other reports [8,[105][106][107]. Faecal samples collected from 144 nondiarrhoeic dogs in Grenada revealed that 5.6% (8/ 144) of them were Salmonella positive [105].…”

“…Braenderup (2/27, 7%) S . Infantis (2/27, 7%) [ 102 ] 5.4% 22 Australia 2019 405 Not specified [ 107 ] 5.6% 8 Grenada, West Indies 2018 144 6 Salmonella enterica serovars, 35 isolates S . Arechavaleta (13/35, 37.1%) S .…”

A survey of enteric organisms detected by real‐time PCR assay in faeces of dogs in Western Australia

“…All reports originate from the eastern states of Australia, with none reported in WA. The seven cases of CDV detection were comparable to prior fPCR data from WA dogs 7,8 . Vaccine cross‐reactivity is the most likely cause, however, detailed clinical data (particularly clinical signs and vaccination status) would be required to evaluate this further.…”

“…Given the reported significance of geographic variation, 5 establishing a regional enteric organism profile may help veterinarians interpret fPCR results, and facilitate more informed comparison of studies from different geographic regions. A few studies describe fPCR results of dogs in Australia, however these are either not restricted to WA, 6,7 or present a small dataset from a single WA institution 8 . None of these studies explored seasonal or regional patterns.…”

“…Our study describes the enteric organism profile in faecal samples from WA dogs as detected by a fPCR assay, with C.perfringens alpha toxin gene detected in 87.2% of samples. Although C. perfringens and its numerous endotoxins remain implicated as a cause of diarrhoea in dogs, 9 the clinical relevance of C. perfringens alpha toxin gene is widely disputed 1,8 . Accordingly, its detection in diarrhoeic dogs should not lead to antimicrobial use based on current evidence, unless further data emerge, which demonstrates a link between quantitative analysis and clinical disease 10…”