New dog virus found in Australia for the first time.

New dog virus found in Australia for the first time.A new form of the common and highly contagious dog virus, canine parvovirus (CPV), has been discovered in Australia for the first time by researchers at the University of Adelaide. While the new strain, known as CPV-2c, is spreading around the world, until now there has been no confirmed evidence of its presence in Australia. However, according to the research, over the past two years cases of CPV-2c have occurred in South Australia and Victoria, and suspicious cases have been seen in Queensland and Northern Territory. The researchers say that while much more work needs to be done to understand the new strain, veterinarians need to be aware that this strain is now present in Australia, may not show-up in the existing diagnostic (SNAP) tests, and that dogs vaccinated against canine parvovirus may not be protected against the new strain. Dog owners should still vaccinate for CPV, and take their dogs to the vet if they have unexplained or persistent diarrhoea and seem unwell, more