Severe population declines have resulted from the spillover of canine distemper virus (CDV) into susceptible wildlife, with both domestic and wild canids being involved in the maintenance and transmission of the virus. This study (March 2001 to October 2003) collated case data, serologic, pathologic, and molecular data to describe the spillover of CDV from domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) to black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) during an epidemic on the Namibian coast. Antibody prevalence in jackals peaked at 74.1%, and the clinical signs and histopathologic observations closely resembled those observed in domestic dog cases. Viral RNA was isolated from the brain of a domestic dog from the outbreak area. Sequence data from the phosphoprotein (P) gene and the hemagglutinin (H) genes were used for phylogenetic analyses. The P gene sequence from the domestic dog shared 98% identity with the sequence data available for other CDV isolates of African carnivores. For the H gene, the two sequences available from the outbreak that decimated the lion population in Tanzania in 1994 were the closest match with the Namibian sample, being 94% identical across 1,122 base pairs (bp). Phylogenetic analyses based on this region clustered the Namibian sample with the CDV that is within the morbilliviruses. This is the first description of an epidemic involving black-backed jackals in Namibia, demonstrating that this species has the capacity for rapid and large-scale dissemination of CDV. This work highlights the threat posed to endangered wildlife in Namibia by the spillover of CDV from domestic dog populations. Very few sequence data are currently available for CDV isolates from African carnivores, and this work provides the first sequence data from a Namibian CDV isolate.
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Epidemiology|
October 01 2009
EPIDEMIOLOGY, PATHOLOGY, AND GENETIC ANALYSIS OF A CANINE DISTEMPER EPIDEMIC IN NAMIBIA Open Access
Sonya Gowtage-Sequeira;
Sonya Gowtage-Sequeira
5
1 Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
5 Corresponding author (email: [email protected])
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Ashley C. Banyard;
Ashley C. Banyard
2 Pirbright Laboratory, Institute for Animal Health, Ash Road, Woking, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK
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Tom Barrett;
Tom Barrett
2 Pirbright Laboratory, Institute for Animal Health, Ash Road, Woking, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK
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Hubert Buczkowski;
Hubert Buczkowski
2 Pirbright Laboratory, Institute for Animal Health, Ash Road, Woking, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK
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Stephan M. Funk;
Stephan M. Funk
3 Nature Heritage, Le Chemin de Herupe, St. John, Jersey, JE3 4FH, Channel Islands
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Sarah Cleaveland
Sarah Cleaveland
4 Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland G12 8QQ, UK
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J Wildl Dis (2009) 45 (4): 1008–1020.
Article history
Received:
September 02 2008
Citation
Sonya Gowtage-Sequeira, Ashley C. Banyard, Tom Barrett, Hubert Buczkowski, Stephan M. Funk, Sarah Cleaveland; EPIDEMIOLOGY, PATHOLOGY, AND GENETIC ANALYSIS OF A CANINE DISTEMPER EPIDEMIC IN NAMIBIA. J Wildl Dis 1 October 2009; 45 (4): 1008–1020. doi: https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-45.4.1008
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