Canine distemper vaccination is a safe and useful preventive procedure for southern sea otters (Enhydra lutra nereis).

From 2002 to 2006, eight captive southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) at research and display institutions in California at risk of exposure to potentially lethal morbiliviruses were vaccinated with a commercial recombinant poxvirus vectored canine distemper (CD) vaccine. Serum-neutralizing (SN) antibody responses were followed for several years. The goal of this study was to determine whether 1) CD vaccination was a safe preventive medicine procedure for this species; 2) sea otters produce detectable SN antibodies in response to vaccination with this product; and 3) if this type of vaccination might be useful in response to a morbilivirus disease outbreak in free-ranging sea otters. Results indicate that a commercial recombinant vaccine is safe, provokes a measurable SN antibody response, and that vaccination may provide some protection from infection for free-ranging sea otters. It also resulted in the reevaluation of CD serology data that were previously published for free-ranging sea otters. Canine distemper, Enhydra lutris nereis, morbilivirus, sea otter, serology, vaccination.