Studies comparing canine distemper virus (CDV) strains from Africa with that of previously described lineages have been hampered due to a lack of field strains for in vitro experiments. Since the attenuation of the Onderstepoort strain in the 1940s, there have not been any reports of CDV isolations in southern Africa. Clinical specimens consisting of whole blood, spleen, lungs, brain and cerebr...

Background and Aims: Canine distemper (CD) is a deadly infectious disease of Canidae family. CD is a multi-systemic viral disease and is specified by wide range of clinical symptoms. The manifestations are not always indicative of CD, therefore a laboratory confirmation is necessary for suspected cases. Materials and Methods: Different clinical specimens of 19 CD suspected unvaccinated dogs wer...

1. An epizootic disease of ferrets with a very high case fatality rate is described. 2. By the use of suitable material the natural disease can be transmitted experimentally. 3. The primary causative agent of the disease is a filterable virus. 4. Secondary invasion by bacteria of the respiratory tract of infected animals frequently occurs. The most important secondary invader is hemolytic strep...

A quantitative study of the antigenicity of various vaccines containing influenza A virus has been made in human beings. A complex vaccine prepared from chick embryos inoculated with both influenza A virus and the X strain of canine distemper virus was found to be more effective than other vaccines in stimulating the production of neutralizing antibodies against the former virus. The increased ...

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection of ferrets causes an acute systemic disease involving multiple organ systems, including the respiratory tract, lymphoid system, and central nervous system (CNS). We have tested candidate CDV vaccines incorporating the fusion (F) and hemagglutinin (HA) proteins in the highly attenuated NYVAC strain of vaccinia virus and in the ALVAC strain of canarypox viru...

In most viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS), the integrity of brain extracelluar matrix (ECM), oxidative stress and dysfunction in neuronal transmission may contribute to the observed pathology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of these factors in demyelinating canine distemper virus (CDV) infections. Regardless of ECM integrity, the expression of metallopr...

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a morbillivirus that is the etiological agent of one of the most important viral diseases affecting canids and an expanding range of other carnivores. Using real-time RT-PCR, CDV RNA was detected in organs of an Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) found dead in the Doñana National Park, Southwestern Andalusia, Spain. This finding may be of great importance for the conse...

We evaluated exposure to canine distemper virus (CDV) in eight wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and 125 unvaccinated domestic dogs living in and around Foping National Nature Reserve (FNNR), China. Seventy-two percent of unvaccinated domestic dogs (mixed breed) had neutralizing antibodies for CDV due to exposure to the disease. The eight wild giant pandas were naïve to CDV and carried...

Canine distemper virus (CDV) exhibits a profound lymphotropism that causes immunosuppression and increased susceptibility of affected dogs to opportunistic infections. Similar to human measles virus, CDV is supposed to inhibit terminal differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs), responsible for disturbed repopulation of lymphoid tissues and diminished antigen presenting function in dogs. In order...

Although significant animal suffering caused by preventable diseases is frequently seen in developing countries, reports of this are scarce. This report describes avoidable animal suffering owing to a suspected canine distemper (CD) outbreak in unvaccinated dogs owned by low-income families in Mozambique that killed approximately 200 animals. Affected dogs exhibited clinical signs, and gross an...