Mass die-off of Caspian seals caused by canine distemper virus

Authors
Kennedy, S Kuiken, T Jepson, PD Deaville, R Forsyth, M Barrett, T van de Bildt, MWG Osterhaus, ADME Eybatov, T Duck, C Kydyrmanov, A Mitrofanov, I Wilson, S
Citation
S. Kennedy et al., Mass die-off of Caspian seals caused by canine distemper virus, EM INFECT D, 6(6), 2000, pp. 637-639
Citations number
10
Categorie Soggetti
Clinical Immunolgy & Infectious Disease
Journal title
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
ISSN journal
10806040 → ACNP
Volume
6
Issue
6
Year of publication
2000
Pages
637 - 639
Database
ISI
SICI code
1080-6040(200011/12)6:6<637:MDOCSC>2.0.ZU;2-L
Abstract
Thousands of Caspian seals (Phoca caspica) died in the Caspian Sea from Apr il to August 2000. Lesions characteristic of morbillivirus infection were f ound in tissue specimens from dead seals. Canine distemper vi rus infection was identified by serologic examination, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and sequencing of selected P gene fragments. These results implicate canine distemper virus infection as the primary cause of death.