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

Abstract

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is the etiological agent of a highly prevalent viral infectious disease of domestic and wild carnivores. This virus poses a conservation threat to endangered species worldwide due to its ability to jump between multiple species and produce a disease, which is most often fatal. Although CDV infection has been regularly diagnosed in Colombian wildlife, to date the molecular identity of circulating CDV lineages is currently unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the presence and phylogenetic characterization of CDV detected in samples from naturally infected Cerdocyon thous from Colombia. We sequenced for the first time the CDV infecting wildlife in Colombia and demonstrated the presence of South America/North America-4 Lineage with a higher relationship to sequences previously reported from domestic and wild fauna belonging to the United States of America. Our results are crucial for the understanding of the interspecies transmission of CDV in the domestic/wild interface and for the prevention and control of such an important multi-host pathogen.

Seroconversion in Galapagos Sea Lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) Confirms the Presence of Canine Distemper Virus in Rookeries of San Cristóbal Island

“…During a high GSL pup mortality event in an El Malecón rookery on San Cristóbal island, CDV RNA was detected in tissue samples (i.e., lung and placenta) from six individuals; four of these samples were analyzed by nucleotide sequencing, showing 99% similarity to CDV [11]. Since CDV is a multi-host pathogen [15] commonly causing a viral infectious disease highly prevalent in domestic dogs and other carnivores, it may poses a conservation threat to several endangered species around the world [16,17], including South America, where the circulation of at least four different lineages of CDV was confirmed [18,19], with the South/NorthAmerica-4 lineage present in Ecuador [20].…”

>b<Achados anatomopatológicos e determinação de causas de morte em canídeos selvagens do estado de São Paulo>/b<

“…Apesar de o cachorro-do-mato não apresentar preocupação em termos de conservação (de acordo com a Lista Vermelha da IUCN), seu comportamento biológico pode representar um risco de transmissão da cinomose para espécies consideradas ameaçadas (ECHEVERRY-BONILLA et al, 2022). Estudos indicam que os canídeos selvagens são muito mais importantes do que cães domésticos como fontes de infecção para os tigres siberianos, bem como na manutenção dessa infecção (GILBERT et al, 2014).…”