Parvoviruses of Carnivores, and the Emergence of Canine Parvovirus (Parvoviridae)

Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 comprises a group of closely related autonomously replicating viruses within the genus protoparvovirus. These viruses are distributed worldwide among different host species within the Order Carnivora where they can cause severe enteric diseases. Infection is associated with host cell binding and entry using the host transferrin receptor and small differences in this interaction control host range. In the 1970s, a new variant virus emerged that had gained the ability to infect canines - representing a host-range expansion associated with altered receptor binding. The new variant, designated canine parvovirus, spread worldwide during 1978 and continues to maintain pandemic circulation.