[Mike]

from rocky:

Highly-Contagious Multi-State
Dog Flu Confirmed

From Patricia Doyle, PhD
3-25-6
Hi Jeff –
I assume they are discussing H3N8 the flu that jumped from horses to dogs.
Patty
ProMed Mail
CBS News
3-25-6

One of 3 cases of highly contagious dog flu confirmed by a lab at the University of California, Davis, (UC Davis) was found in a San Francisco puppy, veterinary researchers announced Friday.

A lab at UC Davis detected canine influenza virus in dogs from 3 states using a new test that employs DNA technology to provide rapid, accurate diagnosis of the highly-contagious disease.

Since November 2005, scientists have tested more than 100 samples from dogs suspected of having canine influenza. All of the samples turned out to be negative until 23 Feb 2006, when the first of the 3 positive samples was diagnosed.

That first case involved a fatal outbreak of disease in a Colorado animal shelter. It was followed by a case in San Francisco, in which an imported puppy became ill but recovered, as did its household-mates.

The 3rd case involved a fatal outbreak in a Florida animal shelter.
“There is no reason for dog owners to panic over the confirmation of these cases,” said Christian Leutenegger of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “Any dog that exhibits upper respiratory symptoms, such as a persistent cough or nasal discharge, should be routinely examined by a local veterinarian.”
Dog flu is an upper respiratory disease, first reported in January 2004 in racing greyhounds at a Florida racetrack.

To date, antibodies to canine influenza virus have been detected in dogs in animal shelters, adoption groups, pet stores, boarding kennels and veterinary clinics in 19 states.

Dogs can also catch the virus from saliva or mucus on shared toys or food dishes.
There is no evidence that canine influenza can be passed to humans, according to UC Davis researchers.

Since the dog flu virus is just emerging, dogs have no natural immunity to it, researchers say. They add that all dogs exposed will become infected, and roughly 80 percent of infected dogs will develop symptoms of the illness. About 5 to 8 percent of all infected dogs will die, according to UC Davis researchers.
There is currently no vaccine available for canine influenza.
http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_084112807.html

It should be noted that this disease is only fatal to a small percentage of those canines infected. Hopefully, a vaccine will be developed soon. However, it is likely that where numbers of dogs are gathered, such as in animal shelters, we may see numbers of those animals affected by this virus. – Mod.TG

Patricia A. Doyle, DVM, PhD
Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
Univ of West Indies
Please visit my “Emerging Diseases” message board at:
http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
Also my new website: http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
Go with God and in Good Health