Author(s): Shaylie Romprey
Mentor(s): Julia Craft
Institution SUU
Canine parvovirus is an aggressive viral infection that targets the intestinal lining and cardiac muscle, especially in young puppies. This virus exhibits a high transmission rate and can spread through various forms of contact (e.g., epidermal, fecal, oral) with an infected canine. In puppies under six months of age, morbidity rates approach 100%, and mortality rates are also high, as there is currently no cure for canine parvovirus. To prevent parvovirus, dog owners typically choose between veterinarian-administered parvovirus vaccines and over-the-counter vaccines for home administration. However, all commercial canine facilities, such as boarding, grooming, and travel services, require veterinarian-administered vaccines, as the effectiveness of home-administered vaccinations cannot be guaranteed. This hesitance stems from the lack of quality assurance in storage and handling conditions of over-the-counter vaccines compared to name-brand, tested vaccines. This project aims to assess the effectiveness of store-bought vaccines, a common choice for immunizing against parvovirus. We will develop and use an ELISA assay to detect parvovirus antibodies in canine blood serum samples as an indicator of immunization efficacy. Our procedure involves creating custom ELISA plates coated with parvovirus antigen and milk protein to analyze serum samples from dogs vaccinated in clinic and those vaccinated at home. In these plates, the degree of antibody binding to the parvovirus antigen will produce a color change; the higher the antibody concentration, the darker the well. We will compare color intensity between samples to determine whether over-the-counter vaccines offer equivalent protection to clinic-administered vaccinations. Currently, we are in the process of gathering subjects and samples, with eight serum samples already collected from clinic-administered vaccinations and plans to obtain additional samples from both categories. We aim to compare at least 10 dogs from each group. We anticipate concluding our research in time to present the results at UCUR.