Epizootiological investigations of canine distemper virus in free-ranging carnivores from Germany.
Canine distemper virus (CDV) infects a broad range of carnivores. To assess whether wild carnivores may play a role in the epidemiology of CDV in domestic dogs in Germany, the seroprevalence of CDV was determined. In sera from red foxes (30 of 591 (5%)) and stone martens (2 of 10 (20%)) antiviral antibodies were detected using a neutralization assay, whereas sera of raccoons, two mink, one pine marten and one raccoon dog were negative. In foxes, there was a significantly higher prevalence in urban and suburban compared to rural regions. When testing lung and spleen tissue samples (fox, badger, stone marten, polecat, raccoon dog) 13 of 253 (5.1%) foxes, 2 of 13 (15.4%) stone martens and 2 of 6 (33%) badgers were virus positive using RT-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequences of the F gene revealed a distinct relatedness to canine CDV isolates. Together, the data support the concept of transmission of CDV between domestic dogs and wild carnivores.
Frölich
K
K
Institute for Zoo Biology and Wildlife Research Berlin, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, D-10252, Berlin, Germany. froelich@izw-berlin.de
Czupalla
O
O
Haas
L
L
Hentschke
J
J
Dedek
J
J
Fickel
J
J
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D002335:Carnivora; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry; D004216:Distemper / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D004217:Distemper Virus, Canine / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004285:Dogs; D005589:Foxes; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009500:Neutralization Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011821:Raccoons; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral