**Canine Parvovirus Type 2 Canine Parvovirus Type 2**

Chao-Nan Lin and Shu-Yun Chiang Chao-Nan Lin and Shu-Yun Chiang Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/65801

**Abstract**

Canine parvovirus (CPV) enteritis is characterized by intestinal hemorrhage with severe bloody diarrhea. The causative agent, CPV‐2, was first identified in the late 1970s. CPV is a nonenveloped, linear, single‐stranded DNA virus with a genome of approximately 5 kb, and it belongs to the genus *Parvovirus*, together with feline panleukopenia virus, mink enteritis virus, raccoon parvovirus, and porcine parvovirus. An antigenic variant, CPV‐2a, identified within a few years after the emergence of CPV‐2, and another variant, CPV‐2b, began appearing in the canine population in 1984. In 2000, a novel antigenic variant, CPV‐2c, was first detected in Italy. This chapter focuses on the history, viral evo‐ lution, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical signs, diagnosis, vaccination, and prevention of CPV‐2.

**Keywords:** canine parvovirus type 2, CPV‐2, viral evolution, antigenic variants, epidemiology, pathogenesis
