Species:           Canine

Specimen:       Serum

Container:       Red top or gel tube

Collection protocol:  Venepuncture      

Special handling/shipping requirements:   Standard

General information about the disease:

Canine distemper is a rare viral infection of viral disease of dogs.  Vaccination is effective at preventing infection and vaccination programs have been developed to thoroughly protect dogs.   

General information about when this test is indicated:

This test is used to assess if vaccinal immunity directed against canine distemper is present and sufficient.  A positive test indicates a serum neutralisation titre of 1:16 or greater.  Dogs with a negative test are not protected from infection but they may be protected from clinical disease since anamnestic antibody or cell mediated immunity may be protective.

Comparison with other related tests:

If clinical disease is suspected, characteristic lesions are observed by histopathology.