PHYLOGENETIC EVIDENCE OF CANINE-DISTEMPER VIRUS IN SERENGETIS LIONS

Recently an epizootic, reported to be due to a morbillivirus infection , affected the lion population of the Tanzanian Serengeti National Par k. A morbillivirus phosphoprotein (P) gene fragment was amplified by P CR from tissue samples of several affected lions. Sequencing of the am plificates and subsequent phylogenetic analyses revealed that a wild-t ype strain of canine distemper morbillivirus (CDV) was involved. Vacci nation of the local domestic dog population with proven safe CDV vacci nes is proposed.