Evaluation of tongue as a complementary sample for the diagnosis of parvoviral infection in dogs and cats

Diagnosis of canine parvovirus type 2 and feline panleukopenia virus infection in dogs and cats may be hampered by the severity of enteric lesions, secondary bacterial overgrowth, and rapid onset of autolysis. In contrast to small intestine, tongue epithelium is less sensitive to postmortem changes. Sections of tongue and small intestine from 11 dogs and 11 cats with a clinical history and gross and microscopic lesions compatible with canine and feline parvoviral infection were examined for parvoviral infection using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and direct fluorescent antibody testing (FA). Parvoviral DNA was detected by PCR in both small intestine and tongue of all but I dog. Nineteen of 22 animals (86%) with suspect or positive FA staining in the small intestine also had positive FA and IHC staining in the tongue. Three of 3 dogs (100%) whose carcasses had been frozen and thawed prior to necropsy had more consistently positive staining in tongue than in small intestine by FA and IHC. These data confirm tongue as an excellent complementary sample for parvoviral testing in dogs and cats, especially in cases in which postmortem autolysis has occurred.