Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) Transit Through the Americas: Need to Assess the Impact of CDV Infection on Species Conservation

Abstract

Canine Morbillivirus (also known as Canine Distemper Virus-CDV) is the causative agent of one of the most important diseases in domestic dogs and wild fauna. It belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family, order Mononegavirales, which has a non-segmented, single-stranded linear negative polarity RNA genome (Lamb and Parks, 2013). The clinical disease is characterized by moderate to severe respiratory signs, gastrointestinal issues, immune suppression, and/or neurological disease (De Vries et al., 2015; Pfeffermann et al., 2018). Beyond domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), CDV infects multiple species within the Order Carnivora, including several wild species as Canidae, Felidae, Procyonidae, Mustelidae, Hyaenidae, Ursidae, and Viverridae families. CDV infection has also been reported in other Orders such as Rodentia (rodents), Primates, Artiodactyla, and Proboscidea (Martinez-Gutierrez and Ruiz-Saenz, 2016). More recently, CDV has been confirmed as the etiological agent of clinical illness in two different families of the Order Pilosa in South America and in one in North America. The first case was reported on a captive southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) with neurological signs (Lunardi et al., 2018). The other case was described in a young giant anteater, showing prostration, nasal, and eye discharge (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). Both of these belong to the Myrmecophagidae Family (Debesa Belizario Granjeiro et al., 2020). Also, in the USA, a Linnaeus's 2-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus), family Choloepodidae, order Pilosa, was reported with clinical signs that included hyporexia, lethargy, mucopurulent nasal discharge, and oral and facial ulcers confirmed as CDV South America/North America-4 lineage (Watson et al., 2020). However, the complete distribution of different CDV strains and Lineages among wildlife species throughout the Americas have not been thoroughly investigated. Phylogenetic analysis has demonstrated the circulation of a new CDV lineage in the Americas. Classified as "South America/North America-4" due to its intercontinental distribution and the monophyletic grouping, strains have been isolated in dogs from Ecuador and Colombia (South America) and wild and domestic dogs in the United States (North America) (Duque-Valencia et al., 2019a). As plylogeography confirmed, the "South America/North America-4" lineage circulated first in Colombia and Ecuador, then in the United States, and again in Colombia [see Figures 3, 4 in Duque-Valencia et al. (2019a)]. It has been stated that the uncontrolled commercialization of puppies from South America to the United States could be the route of transmission of the "South America/North America-4" lineage among these two continent regions; the role of wildlife in virus dissemination throughout the entire continent can also not be ruled out.

Passive epidemiological surveillance in wildlife in Costa Rica identifies pathogens of zoonotic and conservation importance

“…Endemic CDV outbreaks have been reported anecdotally throughout Costa Rica and America in dog populations and, more recently, sporadic outbreaks in wild carnivores of urban and suburban areas in the country have been recorded [116,117]. CDV was identified in our studies, reflecting the relevance of this virus in the role of spillover towards carnivore species and possibly the implications of a spillback towards susceptible or non-vaccinated domestic canines [117][118][119].…”

Passive epidemiological surveillance in wildlife in Costa Rica identifies pathogens of zoonotic and conservation importance

“…Endemic CDV outbreaks have been reported anecdotally throughout Costa Rica and America in dog populations. More recently, sporadic outbreaks in wild carnivores of urban and suburban areas have been recorded [ 97 , 100 ]. Unfortunately, Costa Rica does not have official data on the domestic dog population.…”

The First Report and Phylogenetic Analysis of Canine Distemper Virus in Cerdocyon thous from Colombia

“…CDV creates a conservation threat to endangered species globally due to its ability to jump between multiple species [1,12]. To date, the virus has been found in multiple families and species of animals including the endangered Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) and the vulnerable giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) [13].…”

“…Based on H-gene sequences, CDV strains have been classified into at least 21 major genetic lineages: America-1, America-2, North America-3, South America/North America-4, America-5, Canada 1 and 2, Asia-1, Asia-2, Asia-3, Asia-4, Asia-5, Asia 6, Europe Wildlife, Arctic, Africa-1, Africa-2, Europe-1/South America-1, South America-2, South America-3 and Rockborn-like [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. CDV creates a conservation threat to endangered species globally due to its ability to jump between multiple species [1,12]. To…”

“…The critical role of wild animal reservoirs and meta-reservoirs is still unclear for most of the interspecies transmission scenarios of CDV [14]. However, the role of wildlife in intercontinental transmission of CDV lineage South America/North America-4 has been hypothesized due to its presentation in wild animals in the USA and in domestic dogs in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador [12].…”