Isolation and characterization of caliciviruses from dogs with vesicular genital disease.

Two virus isolates, one from lesions of the vagina of a Bearded Collie and the other from the penis and prepuce of a Black Labrador, were partially characterized. The two viruses possessed the physicochemical properties, size and morphology of viruses belonging to the family Caliciviridae. The two isolates were shown by cross neutralization tests to be distinct from previously reported canine and feline caliciviruses. The viruses, isolated four years apart, are antigenically related. Additional studies are necessary to determine whether they are two distinct viruses or strains of another serotype belonging to the caliciviruses of the canine species.