Sensitivity and Specificity of an In-Clinic Point-of-Care qPCR Test for the Diagnosis of Canine Parvovirus

Abstract

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a common disease found in dogs worldwide. Because of the widespread nature of CPV, quick and accurate detection of the pathogen is important. A variety of existing diagnostic tests utilize an antibody-based system that often trades accuracy for speed. A definitive diagnosis therefore requires direct detection through reference quantitative PCR (qPCR). However, qPCR is only available through specialized laboratories. This project aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of an in-clinic qPCR test to those of reference qPCR in diagnosing CPV. Fifty canine fecal samples were analyzed for CPV using an in-clinic test. Results were compared to those of a reference qPCR test. Sensitivity was 60.0% (CI 95%, 35.8%-80.2%), while specificity was 88.6% (CI 95%, 74.1%-95.5%) for all samples. The in-clinic test was easy to perform and had high specificity. However, the in-clinic test results still required further diagnostics for confirmation due to low sensitivity.