The most commonly used diagnostic tool is an in-house enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, which works by determining the presence of parvovirus antigen in fecal samples (Johnson 2014)
Laboratory blood tests are also used in conjunction with ELISA and other tests, as the blood tests themselves are not definitive, but their ability to analyze diagnostic signs can contribute to the final diagnosis, as in the case of CPV2-induced lymphopenia
Molecular assays, such as real-time polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) can be used to not only detect but also quantify CPV2 DNA
However, in more recent studies, minor groove binder (MGB) probe assays have been developed for type-specific characterization of CPV2 variants and can distinguish between vaccine and field strains