Vet World   Vol.13   November-2020  Article-4

Seroprevalence of canine hepatitis in stray dogs in Nineveh Province, Iraq

Background and Aim: The current study was conducted to explore evidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in dogs in Nineveh Province, Iraq.

Materials and Methods: Serum samples of 78 dogs were used to (i) estimate levels of the antibodies against HBV through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and (ii) measure the activity of liver function enzymes.

Results: Seropositive dogs for HBV constituted 9% of total tested dogs. The differences in seropositivity among males compared to females and among different ages were not statistically significant. Liver function enzymes analysis revealed a significant increase in the activity of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase in seropositive dogs compared to those seronegative.

Conclusion: Hepatitis B is evident in dogs in Nineveh Province, Iraq, with a significant impact on liver function in affected dogs. It is important to confirm this evidence through molecular tests. Keywords: alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, dogs, Hepatitis B virus.

Keywords: alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, dogs, Hepatitis B virus.

How to cite this article: Al-Jumaa ZM, Ajaj EA, Dahl MO (2020) Seroprevalence of canine hepatitis in stray dogs in Nineveh Province, Iraq, Veterinary World, 13(11):2326-2329.

Received: 12-06-2020  Accepted: 05-10-2020     Published online: 04-11-2020

Corresponding author: Mohammad Osamah Dahl   E-mail: mdahl@uomosul.edu.iq

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2020.2326-2329

Copyright: Al-Jumaa, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.