A distinct CDV genotype causing a major epidemic in Alpine wildlife

Isabella Monne (1) , Alice Fusaro (1) , Viviana Valastro (1) , Carlo Citterio (1) , Manuela Dalla Pozza (1) , Federica Obber (1) , Karin Trevisiol (1) , Mariapia Cova (2) , Paola de Benedictis (1) , Marco Bregoli (1) , Ilaria Capua (1) , & Giovanni Cattoli (1)

1 Viale dell'Università
2 IZSLER - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna "Bruno Ubertini"

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infection represents an important conservation threat to many carnivore species and has contributed to the population decline of several wild terrestrial and aquatic mammalian species. Since 2006, the Alpine region of North-Eastern (NE) Italy has been experiencing a severe and widespread outbreak of CDV affecting the wild carnivore population. In this study we performed an extensive phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analysis of CDV identified during the recent wildlife epidemic in the Alpine region. Our analysis yielded data on the evolutionary dynamics of the Alpine wildlife CDV epidemic and revealed the emergence and spread of a single genetic cluster of CDV. The wide distribution of the novel cluster combined with the identification of a specific amino acid mutation, which is believed to increase the ability of the virus to replicate in a wider host range, raises concerns over the possible implications of the spread of this virus on the conservation of endangered wildlife species.

Mots clés: Canine distemper virus; wildlife; wild carnivores; evolutionary dynamics; Haemagglutinin gene (H)

Domaines: Médecine vétérinaire et santé animale

Isabella Monne, Alice Fusaro, Viviana Valastro, Carlo Citterio, Manuela Dalla Pozza, et al.. A distinct CDV genotype causing a major epidemic in Alpine wildlife. Veterinary Microbiology, 2011, 150 (1-2), pp.63. ⟨10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.01.009⟩. ⟨hal-00687334⟩