Abstract

BackgroundNoroviruses have emerged as the leading cause of outbreaks and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. Person-to-person contact and consumption of contaminated food are considered the most important ways of transmission of noroviruses however zoonotic transmission has been suggested. Recently, noroviruses have been found in dogs which, unlike bovine and swine noroviruses, may present a higher risk of zoonotic transfer, given to the often close contacts between humans and pet dogs in many societies across the world. The present paper describes a seroepidemiologic study aiming to provide information on the exposure level of humans to canine norovirus.Methods/DesignA case–control study was designed to address the potential exposure to canine norovirus based on the presence of antibodies against canine norovirus. Sera from veterinarians (a population repeatedly in close contact with dogs) will be collected in an annual Veterinary Sciences Congress in Portugal. In addition, sera from general population will be obtained and used as controls for comparative purposes. All sera will be tested for the presence of canine norovirus antibodies using a virus-like particle-based enzyme immune assay. Risk factors for canine norovirus antibodies presence in veterinarians will be investigated through the delivery of an anonymized questionnaire to the participants.DiscussionThe present study aims to identify seropositive individuals to canine norovirus and to assess risk profiles among veterinary professionals with occupational exposure to dogs. To our knowledge this is the first study providing information on the potential zoonotic risk of canine norovirus, thus allowing the development of preventive measures and ascertaining potential risks for Public Health resulting from contact to dogs.

Highlights

  • Noroviruses have emerged as the leading cause of outbreaks and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide

  • The present study aims to identify seropositive individuals to canine norovirus and to assess risk profiles among veterinary professionals with occupational exposure to dogs

  • To our knowledge this is the first study providing information on the potential zoonotic risk of canine norovirus, allowing the development of preventive measures and ascertaining potential risks for Public Health resulting from contact to dogs

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Summary

Discussion

In the present study we hypothesize that the outcomes of the proposed serosurvey may provide unique insight in the potential exposure of humans to canine norovirus. Different risk profiles between veterinary professionals (with occupational contact to dogs) and the general population will be evaluated. This will provide valuable data on the potential zoonotic risks of canine norovirus for humans. This study will provide more data on the zoonotic exposure risk and potential preventive measures, such as canine norovirus control programmes (e.g. quarantines), and canine norovirus vaccine research and development. Authors’ contributions JRM and MSJN contributed to the design of the study. Both authors, drafted, revised and approved the final manuscript

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