Persistence of Virus in Urine as Factor in Spread of Infectious Hepatitis in Dogs.

Abstract

Infectious hepatitis virus was recovered from the urine of dogs at intervals from 3 days after inoculation to at least 161 days. Inasmuch as blood, saliva, nasal washings and feces from apparently recovered dogs did not contain virus, it appears that infected urine is important in the spread of the disease. Finding a focal interstitial nephritis indicated that the source of virus eliminated in the urine is the kidney. As has been reported for a number of other viruses, its presence in urine might be expected during viremia, but the exceptionally long persistence in the presence of neutralizing antibodies appears an unusual finding for a virus.