Canine Distemper Virus in a Wild Far Eastern Leopard (Panthera Pardus Orientalis)

Abstract

The critically endangered population of Far Eastern leopards ( Panthera pardus orientalis) may number as few as 60 individuals and is at risk from stochastic processes such as infectious disease. During May 2015, a case of canine distemper virus (CDV) was diagnosed in a wild leopard exhibiting severe neurologic disease in the Russian territory of Primorskii Krai. Amplified sequences of the CDV hemagglutinin gene and phosphoprotein gene aligned within the Arctic-like clade of CDV, which includes viruses from elsewhere in Russia, China, Europe, and North America. Histologic examination of cerebral tissue revealed perivascular lymphoid cuffing and demyelination of the white matter consistent with CDV infection. Neutralizing antibodies against CDV were detected in archived serum from two wild Far Eastern leopards sampled during 1993-94, confirming previous exposure in the population. This leopard population is likely too small to maintain circulation of CDV, suggesting that infections arise from spillover from more-abundant domestic or wild carnivore reservoirs. Increasing the population size and establishment of additional populations of leopards would be important steps toward securing the future of this subspecies and reducing the risk posed by future outbreaks of CDV or other infectious diseases.

Transboundary cooperation improves endangered species monitoring and conservation actions: A case study of the global population of Amur leopards

“…Previous expert assessments based on track abundance and distribution suggested there may have been only 25 to 34 Amur leopards left in the wild (Pikunov, 2010), prompting efforts to develop a reintroduction program in Russia (Miquelle et al, 2010). Our results suggest the population is larger than expected, but nonetheless given the genetic impoverishment of this subspecies (Sugimoto et al, 2014;Uphyrkina, Miquelle, Quigley, Driscoll, & O'Brien, 2002), this single population is still challenged due to its small size and susceptibility to stochastic events, including disease (Sulikhan et al, 2018). Therefore, reintroduction of a second population remains a priority.…”

Development and validation of a portable, point-of-care canine distemper virus qPCR test

“…Our understanding of CDV ecology, disease transmission and infection outcomes is far from complete and advancing our knowledge is critical for mitigating its effects in wildlife. For example, CDV has become a major conservation threat to endangered populations of Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) and Far Eastern leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) in the Russia Far East [5,7,8]. This is in addition to the threats faced from poaching, habitat loss and tiger human conflict [32,33].…”

“…All members of the order Carnivora are thought to be susceptible, and CDV exposure has also been described in several species of rodents, primates, suids, cervids, and elephants [1]. Significant mortality events have been described in terrestrial and marine mammals [2], and disease and outbreaks in endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) [3], Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) [4], Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) [5][6][7], Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) [8], Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) [9], and black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) [10] are considered potentially significant conservation threats to these species. Domestic dogs and mesocarnivores are known reservoir hosts [2,6,7].…”

Mapas Conceituais Como Ferramenta De Aprendizagem Sobre Grupos De Metazoários Invertebrados

“…Animais de vida livre estão expostos a diversos agentes etiológicos que são comuns a cães e gatos domésticos (HOLMES, 1996;JORGE, 2008;BROWN et al, 2010;FURTADO, 2010;HAYASHI, 2013), e estes são capazes de afetar os animais silvestres clínica, imunológica e fatalmente (ROELKE-PARKER et al, 1996;ROELKE et al, 2006ROELKE et al, , 2009SULIKAN et al, 2018). Populações ameaçadas, em declínio, sobre estresse, malnutridas ou com baixa variabilidade genética se tornam mais vulneráveis aos efeitos dessas enfermidades (MURRAY et al, 1999).…”