2016 Baker Institute News: Surface mutation lets canine parvovirus jump to other species

Abstract

This news item from the Cornell Chronicle is about: Canine parvovirus (CPV) emerged as a deadly threat to dogs in the late 1970’s and has since spread to wild forest-dwelling animals. The transfer of the virus from domesticated to wild carnivores has been something of a mystery, until now. A multidisciplinary team of researchers has identified a mutation in CPV that can profoundly alter transferrin receptor (TfR) binding and infectivity of the virus. The methodology used in this research could blaze a trail for future research into other viruses, including influenza.