Canine influenza virus was first identified in 2004. How prevalent has it become in animal shelter populations?

In a study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, researchers took nasal swabs and serum samples from 5,160 dogs in six animal shelters across the U.S.over a two year period. They found that the incidence of canine influenza virus ranged from a high of 10 percent seropositivy and 4.7 percent positive in nasal swabs in Colorado, to a low of 0 percent for both in California and Texas.

The researchers concluded that the incidence of CIV in shelter dogs varied not just by region but seasonally, as well as on the type of housing in use in the shelter. CIV was also likely to be introduced into the shelter from community dogs.

Pecoraro, H.L., Bennett, S., Huyvaert, K.P., Spindel, M.E. and Landolt, G.A. (2014), Epidemiology and Ecology of H3N8 Canine Influenza Viruses in US Shelter Dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. doi: 10.1111/jvim.12301