Agreement between In-Clinics and Virus Neutralization Tests in Detecting Antibodies against Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) Agreement between In-Clinics and Virus Neutralization Tests in Detecting Antibodies against Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) The Vaccination Guideline Group (VGG) of both the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) recommend puppy core vaccinations followed by triennial antibody titer evaluations of adult dogs. The gold standard test for measuring canine distemper virus antibody titer to determine level of immunity is virus neutralization (VN), but it is too complex to be performed in a standard veterinary clinic and must be out-sourced. Using in-clinics tests would allow for faster results. The aim of the study performed by Prof. Dall’Ara et al was to assess the level of agreement between the commercial in-clinic titer test kit “VacciCheck” and VN. Using a VN protective threshold value of 1:32, VacciCheck was calculated to have a sensitivity of 95.5% and accuracy of 92.5%. The Cohen’s kappa coefficient between the two method revealed optimal agreement (p=0073). Conclusions: Vaccinations should be considered as one component of a comprehensive preventive healthcare plan that should be tailored to individual features This would represent the best evidence-based approach to vaccination. To avoid a blind vaccination against core diseases (caused by CDV, CAV, and CPV-2) Veterinarians should evaluate the real need of a booster in each patient, and this may be supported by the use of in-clinics rapid test. The in-clinics canine VacciCheck showed a good agreement with VN, demonstrating its reliability in the evaluation of antibody titers against CDV. It may be considered as an efficient tool in daily practice, helping clinicians in following the evidence-based vaccinal approach and evaluating case-by-case the real need of a re-vaccination against canine distemper. The article concludes by stating that VacciCheck is as a reliable titer test that can assist the clinicians in determining the best vaccine protocol, and to avoid unnecessary vaccination. Sara Meazzi 1,* , Joel Filipe 1 , Alessandra Fiore 1 , Santina Di Bella 2 , Francesco Mira 2 and Paola Dall’Ara Download Journal VacciCheck FAQS VacciCheck Course Doctor in Veterinary Medicine – PhD – Associate Professor at Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), University of Milan Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. About Prof. Paola Dall’Ara Doctor in Veterinary Medicine – PhD - Associate Professor at Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), University of Milan
