Canine Distemper Virus in Wild Ferret-Badgers of Taiwan

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Canine distemper is an acute or subacute, highly contagious, febrile disease that is caused by canine distemper virus (CDV). Two CDV-infected wild Taiwan ferret-badgers (Melogale moschata subauantiaca) were found in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan, in 2005. Each case was confirmed by detecting CDV RNA in lung and brain tissues. A suspected third case was detected based on clinical signs and histology. These cases are the first record of wildlife infected by CDV in Taiwan. It is believed that domestic dogs or coexisting wild carnivores infected with the virus were the most likely source, and a serologic survey is needed to fully understand the host range of this virus in Taiwan. In addition, further genetic sequencing is needed to determine the source of these CDV cases.

Disease Surveillance in Rescued and Road-Killed Wild-Ranging Carnivores in Taiwan

“…In Taiwan, serum antibodies to CDV had been detected in a captive leopard cats 25 ; and CDV infection had been diagnosed in 2 wild TWFBs by histopathology and RT-PCR. 26 However, no CDV sequences of TWFBs were submitted to the GenBank database. In the present study, CDV infection was detected only in MPCs, in which distinct eosinophilic intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies could be easily detected in the epithelium of airway and syncytial cells, but not in the brain tissue.…”

Canine distemper virus infection in a lesser grison (Galictis cuja): first report and virus phylogeny

“…Canine distemper virus (CDV), a single strand RNA virus, belonging to the genus Morbillivirus, family Paramyxoviridae, was first isolated in 1905 from domestics dogs (Canis familiaris) (Appel et al 1981). Some wild species have been infected by CDV, such as badgers (Taxidea taxus), mink (Mustela vison), black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), wild Taiwan ferret-badgers (Melogale moschata subauantiaca), greater grison (Galictis vitatta), stone martens (Martes foina), polecats (Mustela putorius), and badgers (Meles meles) (Appel et al 1981, Rego et al 1997, Williams et al 1998, Chen et al 2008, Megid et al 2010. As occur in domestic dogs, many of these wild species get sick and show severe clinical pictures of CDV infection, leading to death of the animals.…”