GENETIC-CHARACTERIZATION OF CANINE-DISTEMPER VIRUS IN SERENGETI CARNIVORES

The lion (Panthera leo) population in the Serengeti ecosystem was rece ntly afflicted by a fatal epidemic involving neurological disease, enc ephalitis and pneumonia. The cause was identified as canine distemper virus (CDV). Several other species in the Serengeti were also affected . This report presents CDV H and P gene sequences isolated from Sereng eti lions (Panthera lee), spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) and domestic dog (Canis familiaris). Sequence analyses demonstrated that the four Serengeti species carry closely re lated CDV isolates which are genetically distinct from other CDV isola tes from various species and locations. The results are consistent wit h the conclusions that: (1) a particularly virulent strain of CDV emer ged among Serengeti carnivores within the last few years; (2) that str ain has recognizable shared-derived (synapomorphic) genetic difference s in both H and P genes when compared to CDV from other parts of the w orld; and (3) that the CDV strain has frequently crossed host species among Serengeti carnivores. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.