Molecular Characterization Confirms the Presence of a Divergent Strain of Canine Coronavirus (UWSMN-1) in Australia

Canine coronavirus (CCV) UWSMN-1 was originally identified from an outbreak of fatal gastroenteritis in breeding colonies. In this report, we examined whether UWSMN-1 represents a novel divergent strain or is the result of recombination events between canine and feline coronavirus strains. Sequencing of various regions of the spike and polymerase genes confirms that UWSMN-1 is widely divergent from other CCV and feline coronavirus strains. These data raise the possibility that this strain is the first member of a novel third subtype of CCV.