title: Occurrence and geographical distribution of Canine Distemper Virus infection in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
abstract: Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) infects dogs and a variety of carnivore species. In Saxony-Anhalt, a federal state of Germany, 761 foxes were examined for CDV infection, using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in the years 2010 and 2011. A prevalence of 30.5% was found for the whole time period without significant changes in prevalence between 2010 and 2011. The relative risk (RR) of a fox to test positive for CDV varied markedly within the area of the state and was significantly increased in some regions. The latter was confirmed by a spatial cluster test that identified a significant cluster (p<0.001) with a diameter of 44 km in the west of the state. To protect hounds and domestic dogs from CDV infection, vaccination is recommended in Saxony-Anhalt.
authors.affiliation: State Office for Consumer Protection Sachsen-Anhalt, Department 4, Veterinary Medicine, Haferbreiter Weg 132-135, 39576 Stendal, Germany. Nicolai.Denzin@lav.ms.sachsen-anhalt.de
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Denzin
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Herwig
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van der Grinten
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004216:Distemper / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D004217:Distemper Virus, Canine / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005589:Foxes; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D008168:Lung / Q000821:virology