Diagnóstico de cinomose canina por RT-PCR em amostras de cães do estado de São Paulo enviadas para o diagnóstico laboratorial da raiva

Canine distemper (CD) is one of the most important infectious diseases in domestic dogs. In Brazil, CD is still the principal cause of mortality of dogs in some urban populations. Although different viral gene sequences have been identified for detecting the canine distemper virus (CDV), the N gene appears to be a better target for the amplification of specific fragments from all CDV strains. Using RT-PCR targeted to the CDV N gene, during the year 2014 we analyzed 190 central nervous system (CNS) samples of dogs from the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, with symptoms suggestive of encephalitis and sent them to the Pasteur Institute for the diagnosis of rabies. Positivity for CD was over 50%, indicating that the disease remains an important cause of canine mortality.