EVIDENCE OF NATURAL BLUETONGUE VIRUS-INFECTION AMONG AFRICAN CARNIVORES

Bluetongue is an International Office of Epizootics List A disease des cribed as the century's most economically devastating affliction of sh eep. Bluetongue (BLU) viruses were thought to infect only ruminants, s hrews, and some rodents, but recently, inadvertent administration of B LU virus-contaminated vaccine resulted in mortality and abortion among domestic dogs. We present evidence of natural BLU virus infection amo ng African carnivores that dramatically widens the spectrum of suscept ible hosts. We hypothesize that such infection occurred after ingestio n of meat and organs from BLU virus-infected prey species. The effect of BLU virus on endangered carnivores such as the cheetah and African wild dog requires urgent investigation. Also, the role of carnivores i n the epizootiology of this disease needs elucidation.