Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of nine canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) pathogens in asymptomatic dogs presented at animal shelters across the United States. METHODS: Ocular and oronasal swabs from asymptomatic dogs (n = 503) were tested using qPCR assay for Bordetella bronchiseptica, canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV), canine herpesvirus type 1 (CHV), canine influenza virus (CIV), canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV), canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV), Mycoplasma cynos and Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus. RESULTS: A total of 240 (47.7%) asymptomatic dogs were PCR-positive for at least one CIRD pathogen. Prevalence of two-, three-, four-, and five-pathogen cases was 12.7, 3.8, 1.8, and 0.4%, respectively. Mycoplasma cynos (29.2%), B. bronchiseptica (19.5%), CAV-2 (12.5%), CDV (7.4%) and CPIV (3.2%) were the most commonly detected pathogens. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The prevalence of traditional and newly emerging pathogens associated with CIRD is poorly defined in clinically healthy dogs. This study determined that a high percentage of asymptomatic shelter dogs harbor CIRD pathogens, including the newly emerging pathogen M. cynos and the historically prevalent pathogen B. bronchiseptica.