Detection of respiratory viruses in shelter dogs maintained under varying environmental conditions

Monteiro, Francielle Liz; Cargnelutti, Juliana Felipetto; Martins, Mathias; Anziliero, Deniz; Erhardt, Magnólia Martins; Weiblen, Rudi; Flores, Eduardo Furtado

Shelter #1 had precarious nutritional and sanitary conditions, poor infrastructure and poor food quality (Fig. 1A) . In shelter #2, the animals had a wide outdoors area in which to play and exercise; however, the dogs of varying ages had direct contact (Fig. 1B) . Fig. 1C shows shelter #3 with individual dog houses and cages with a low population density and good sanitary conditions (approximately six dogs/cage). Factors associated with animal overcrowding, such as excessive noise, poor air quality and diet, in addition to bad kennel cleaning, may cause stress, which may in turn promote the establishment and dissemination of viral infections. [23] [24] [25] Thus, the poor sanitary and nutritional conditions of shelter #1 may have favored the high rate of respiratory viruses.