The antigenic relationships between PDV and isolates of morbilliviruses from carnivores suffering from distemper were investigated. Fourteen isolates, originating from terrestrial carnivores and harbour seals from 1985-1991 from Denmark, Norway, Greenland, and the U.S.A. were reacted in IFA and ELISA with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against four virion proteins (NP, P, F, and H). The MAbs comprised a newly completed panel of 36 anti-PDV MAbs and 39 previously developed anti-CDV MAbs. The antigenic make-up of the isolates separated them into the CDV prototype group and the PDV prototype group, having the antigenic characteristics of the reference vaccine strains of CDV and the Danish PDV isolate, respectively. The minor antigenic variations within the CDV group contrasted markedly to the differences encountered between the CDV and PDV group. The PDV group included isolates made in 1988 from diseased seals of Danish and Norwegian waters and isolates made in 1989 from distemper outbreaks in Danish mink farms. In contrast, the other distemper isolates investigated, including isolates from 1986 from a corresponding Danish mink farm, revealed the antigenic characteristics of CDV. Our results strongly indicate that PDV was recently transmitted from diseased seals to terrestrial carnivores causing distemper epizootics among farmed mink.

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Sera from 326 Norwegian reindeer (NR) and from 40 Svalbard reindeer (SR) were examined for antibodies to reindeer herpesvirus (RHV), bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) and parainfulenza type 3 virus (PIV-3). No antibodies to any of these three viruses were detected in sera from SR. Sixty-three percent of sera from 101 adult NR (> 12 months old) and 15% of 225 NR calves (6 months old) had antibodies to RHV; corresponding values for BVDV were 41% and 6%, respectively. Twenty-seven percent of adult NR and 1% of NR calves had antibodies to both viruses. No antibodies to PIV-3 were detected in any NR sera

The proliferative response to mitogens of head kidney leueoeytes from Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., experimentally infected with infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) was examined. The mean hacmatocrits of ISA-inoculated fish were significantly lower than the mean haematocrits of eontrol-inoculated fish at day 14. Mortality in ISA-inoculated fish appeared at day 16 after inoculation. Seven days after inoculation, leucocytes from ISA-inoculated fish showed an increased response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) compared to control-inoculated fish, while no change in the response to Mpopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli tLPS) could be observed. At days 14 and 22 after inoculation, the responses to both LPS and PHA of leucocytes from ISA-inoculated fish were severely impaired. These suppressions of the immune response of leueoeytes from ISA-inoeulated fish were found in fish with low haematoerits {<15) as well as in fish with haematocrits higher than 30, suggesting that suppression of the immune system and the development of anaemia are independent events in the pathogenesis of ISA.