Canine coronavirus (CCoV)

Canine coronavirus (CCoV) is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus of the family Coronaviridae and belongs to the genus Alphacoronavirus[1][2][3][5][6]. CCoV primarily causes mild to moderate gastroenteritis in dogs by infecting and destroying the cells of the intestinal villi, with symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and decreased appetite; more severe disease can occur in young, immunocompromised, or co-infected animals, especially with canine parvovirus[1][5][7][9]. There are two primary genotypes: CCoV type I and type II, with further subtypes based on differences in the spike (S) protein[6]. CCoV is highly contagious among dogs but is not the same as the human coronavirus (e.g., SARS-CoV-2) and does not infect humans[1][9]. Treatment is generally supportive. No widely accepted targeted antiviral drugs exist, but compounds such as GC376 have shown efficacy against the viral main protease in vitro and in animal studies[8]. There is a vaccine, but its use is controversial due to unclear efficacy and limited indication[1]. The term "canine coronavirus" refers to a virus, not a canonical therapeutic target (such as a receptor, enzyme, or transporter); the true molecular targets for drug action would be viral proteins (e.g., main protease, spike protein).

Other names

Canine enteric coronavirusCCoVCanine respiratory coronavirus (for a related but distinct virus)

Protease inhibition (for GC376: inhibits viral main protease, blocking viral replication)[8]