Canine and Feline Parvovirus Real time PCR
1) feces 2) fecal swabs or rectal swabs 3) intestine 4) intestinal contents
Results reported Monday to Friday. Following the guidelines listed under the Submitted Requirements will provide an adequate sample volume to conduct this test. If multiple tests are to be requested on a specimen, there may not be adequate sample volume to perform each test. Please submit an adequate sample volume to meet the requirements of each test. The assay can detect shed Parvovirus vaccine from feces or other sample types at least 28 days post vaccination in healthy animals.
Test update
The Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will be offering a rapid, real time PCR for the detection of Canine Parvovirus-2 (CPV) and Feline Parvovirus (FPV, also known as Feline Panleukopenia Virus) starting Monday, April 27. The test will be offered daily Monday through Friday on canine and feline feces, fecal swabs, rectal swabs, intestine, and intestinal contents with a 1-2 day turnaround for final results.
Real time PCR is able to detect very small amounts of viral DNA, and is considered the gold standard to diagnose CPV and FPV infection. Recent studies have shown that point-of-care tests (POCT) for parvoviral antigens typically have high specificity (positive results are highly likely to be true positives), but have variable and often low sensitivity. A negative POCT result does not definitively rule out a parvoviral infection. Confirmatory PCR testing is recommended for clinically affected animals with negative POCT results.
Shedding of vaccination strains of parvovirus may occur up to 28 days after modified-live vaccination, which could lead to false-positive results in the post-vaccination period. A healthy, recently vaccinated animal may still have a final non-negative PCR result for CPV or FPV, but not have an active infection.