ABSTRACT
In 1964, during an investigation of an acute, fatal, hemorrhagic disease of neonatal and infant puppies, Carmichael and colleagues isolated the causative agent in tissue culture. Animal inoculation studies done with the small plaque and standard plaque variants of canine herpesvirus-1 (CHV-1) have revealed that the small plaque variant has significantly reduced virulence for puppies. Using the complement-dependent virus neutralization assay, dog populations have been surveyed for an incidence of antibody to CHV-1. Based upon a systematic study of exposure to CHV in beagle dogs, it is apparent that infection by this route results in an inapparent or mild clinical infection. The histopathologic lesions associated with CHV infection have been well characterized. In spite of the high morbidity and mortality, not all animals neonatally infected with CHV-1 will die. CHV infection within the dog population can be viewed as a sporadic infectious disease problem.
