title: Canine Distemper Virus in Wild Felids of Costa Rica.
abstract: Several highly infectious diseases can be transmitted through feces and cause elevated mortality among carnivore species. One such infectious agent, canine distemper virus (CDV; Paramyxoviridae: Morbillivirus), has been reported to affect wild carnivores, among them several felid species. We screened free-ranging and captive wild carnivores in Costa Rica for CDV. Between 2006 and 2012, we collected 306 fecal samples from 70 jaguars (Panther onca), 71 ocelots ( Leopardus pardalis ), five jaguarundis (Puma yaguaroundi), 105 pumas ( Puma concolor ), five margays ( Leopardus wiedii ), 23 coyotes ( Canis latrans ), and 27 undetermined Leopardus spp. We found CDV in six individuals: one captive jaguarundi (rescued in 2009), three free-ranging ocelots (samples collected in 2012), and two free-ranging pumas (samples collected in 2007). Phylogenetic analyses were performed using sequences of the phosphoprotein (P) gene. We provide evidence of CDV in wild carnivores in Costa Rica and sequence data from a Costa Rican CDV isolate, adding to the very few sequence data available for CDV isolates from wild Central American carnivores.
authors.affiliation: 1 Centro Nacional de Innovaciones Biotecnológicas (CENIBiot), CeNAT-CONARE, 1174-1200 San José, Costa Rica;
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Avendaño
authors.affiliation: 2 Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica;|3 Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, PO Box 304-3000, Heredia, Costa Rica;
authors.forename: Flor
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barrueta
authors.affiliation: 2 Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica;
authors.forename: Sofía
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soto-Fournier
authors.affiliation: 1 Centro Nacional de Innovaciones Biotecnológicas (CENIBiot), CeNAT-CONARE, 1174-1200 San José, Costa Rica;|4 Escuela de Química & Centro de Investigaciones en Productos Naturales (CIPRONA), Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica;
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chavarría
authors.affiliation: 2 Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica;
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Monge
authors.affiliation: 2 Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica;
authors.forename: Gustavo A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Espeleta
authors.affiliation: 2 Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica;
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaves
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D002415:Cats; D003364:Costa Rica / Q000453:epidemiology; D004217:Distemper Virus, Canine / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D045989:Felidae; D005254:Feline Panleukopenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny
keywords: Canine distemper virus; Costa Rica; phosphoprotein gene; sequence analysis; wild felids