Canine bocavirus 3 (CnBoV3) is a newly discovered canine bocavirus found in the liver of the dog.

CnBoV3 belongs to the genus bocavirus in the family Parvoviridae. This family of viruses has single-stranded DNA with genome length between 4.5 – 5.5 kb. Bocaviruses are pathogenic in some of the mammalian species including humans, cows, pigs, gorillas, chimpanzees, California sea lions, dogs, cats, bats, and pine martens. Bocavirus can cause respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders in young animals and possibly human beings.

Previously, two species of bocavirus have been reported in the dogs; one is the minute virus of canines (MVC) – discovered in 1967 – that is related to the neonatal diseases and fertility disorders while the other is the Canine bocavirus (CBoV) – discovered in 2011 – that is thought to be related to the respiratory disease.

CnBoV3 is very much different from MVC and CBoV. The presence of CnBoV3 in the liver tissues showed that the virus may have opened the way through the mucosal barrier of the usual sites of bocavirus replication in the respiratory or enteric tracts. Researchers have also found that the replication of the virus may take place in the hepatocytes or the other liver cell types.

Researchers have reported that the role of the CnBoV3 in the complex diseases of animals have to be studied in detail. Continue reading Canine bocavirus 3 →