title: Canine distemper vaccination is a safe and useful preventive procedure for southern sea otters (Enhydra lutra nereis).
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: California Department of Fish and Game, Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA. djessup@ospr.dfg.ca.gov
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Jessup
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Casper
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brownstein
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kreuder-Johnson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004216:Distemper / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004217:Distemper Virus, Canine / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D008297:Male; D010041:Otters; D013997:Time Factors; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014765:Viral Vaccines