Viral gastroenteritis in domestic cats and dogs in Nigeria: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence, molecular epidemiology and risk factors.

Viral enteric disease is a leading cause of illness and death in young dogs and cats. Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), and related viruses of the species Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 are the most important agents. In Nigeria, published work has documented high detection rates of CPV in dogs with gastroenteritis, a shift in circulating variants from CPV-2a towards CPV-2c, frequent disease in vaccinated animals, and detection of canine distemper virus, canine circovirus, and FPV. These data are dispersed across clinic surveys, molecular reports, and local journals and have not been systematically combined. A preliminary scoping of the literature suggests that evidence for cats and for non-parvoviral viruses is very limited, and that estimates differ widely because of different populations and diagnostic methods. A pre-specified systematic review is needed to produce transparent, reproducible and quality-appraised estimates and to identify research gaps.