Emergence of Canine Distemper Virus Strains With Modified Molecular Signature and Enhanced Neuronal Tropism Leading to High Mortality in Wild Carnivores

Origgi, Francesco; Plattet, Philippe; Sattler, Ursula; Robert, N.; Casaubon, J.; Mavrot, Fabien; Pewsner, Mirjam Lea; Wu, Natacha; Giovannini, Samoa; Oevermann, Anna; Stoffel, Michael Hubert; Gaschen, Véronique; Segner, Helmut; Ryser-Degiorgis, Marie-Pierre (2012). Emergence of Canine Distemper Virus Strains With Modified Molecular Signature and Enhanced Neuronal Tropism Leading to High Mortality in Wild Carnivores. Veterinary pathology, 49(6), pp. 913-929. American College of Veterinary Pathologists 10.1177/0300985812436743

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An ongoing canine distemper epidemic was first detected in Switzerland in the spring of 2009. Compared to previous local canine distemper outbreaks, it was characterized by unusually high morbidity and mortality, rapid spread over the country, and susceptibility of several wild carnivore species. Here, the authors describe the associated pathologic changes and phylogenetic and biological features of a multiple highly virulent canine distemper virus (CDV) strain detected in and/or isolated from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), stone (Martes foina) and pine (Martes martes) martens, from a Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), and a domestic dog. The main lesions included interstitial to bronchointerstitial pneumonia and meningopolioencephalitis, whereas demyelination-the classic presentation of CDV infection-was observed in few cases only. In the brain lesions, viral inclusions were mainly in the nuclei of the neurons. Some significant differences in brain and lung lesions were observed between foxes and mustelids. Swiss CDV isolates shared together with a Hungarian CDV strain detected in 2004. In vitro analysis of the hemagglutinin protein from one of the Swiss CDV strains revealed functional and structural differences from that of the reference strain A75/17, with the Swiss strain showing increased surface expression and binding efficiency to the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). These features might be part of a novel molecular signature, which might have contributed to an increase in virus pathogenicity, partially explaining the high morbidity and mortality, the rapid spread, and the large host spectrum observed in this outbreak.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Research Foci > NeuroCenter
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Experimental Clinical Research
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP) > Institute of Animal Pathology
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Veterinary Anatomy
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP)
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP) > Institute for Fish and Wildlife Health (FIWI)

UniBE Contributor:

Origgi, Francesco, Plattet, Philippe, Sattler, Ursula, Robert, Nadia, Casaubon, Julien, Mavrot, Fabien, Pewsner, Mirjam Lea, Wu, Natacha, Zürcher-Giovannini, Samoa Micheline Maité, Oevermann, Anna, Stoffel, Michael Hubert, Gaschen, Véronique, Segner, Helmut, Ryser, Marie Pierre

Subjects:

600 Technology > 630 Agriculture
500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology

ISSN:

0300-9858

Publisher:

American College of Veterinary Pathologists

Language:

English

Submitter:

Andrea Stettler

Date Deposited:

03 Feb 2014 11:05

Last Modified:

02 Mar 2023 23:23

Publisher DOI:

10.1177/0300985812436743

PubMed ID:

22362965

Web of Science ID:

000310853200006

Uncontrolled Keywords:

canine distemper virus, lynx, fox, h301f, hemagglutinin, meningopolioencephalitis, switzerland, wild carnivores, naturally infected-dogs, hemagglutinin genes, natural infection, domestic dogs, north-america, morbillivirus, encephalitis, protein, foxes, demyelination

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.40447

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/40447

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