Abstract
We evaluated exposure to canine distemper virus (CDV) in eight wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and 125 unvaccinated domestic dogs living in and around Foping National Nature Reserve (FNNR), China. Seventy-two percent of unvaccinated domestic dogs (mixed breed) had neutralizing antibodies for CDV due to exposure to the disease. The eight wild giant pandas were naïve to CDV and carried no positive antibody titer. RT-PCR assays for hemagglutinin (H) gene confirmed the presence of CDV in 31 clinically ill dogs from several areas near FNNR. Genomic sequence analysis showed that the 21 canine CDV were highly homologous to each other and belonged to the Asian-1 genotype. They showed high homology with the GP01 strain sequenced from a fatally infected giant panda, suggesting cross-species infection. Observational and GPS tracking data revealed home range overlap in pandas and dogs around FNNR. This study shows that CDV is endemic in domestic dogs near FNNR and that cross-species CDV infection threatens the wild giant panda population.
Highlights
Canine distemper is a highly contagious, fatal disease that affects domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and other species of the Canidae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae, Felidae, and Ursidae families [1,2,3]
We evaluated exposure to canine distemper virus (CDV) in eight wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and 125 unvaccinated domestic dogs living in and around Foping National Nature Reserve (FNNR), China
This study shows that CDV is endemic in domestic dogs near FNNR and that cross-species CDV infection threatens the wild giant panda population
Summary
Canine distemper is a highly contagious, fatal disease that affects domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and other species of the Canidae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae, Felidae, and Ursidae families [1,2,3]. Crossspecies infection of canine distemper virus (CDV) from dogs to lion (Panther oleo) [1, 4, 5], African wild dog (Lycaonpictus) [6], Amur tiger (Pantheratigrisaltaica) [7], rhesus monkey (Macacamulatta) [2] and other wildlife is well documented. The first report of CDV infection in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was at the Chongqing Zoo, China in 1997 [8]. A 2010 study demonstrated that 4/67 pandas at Wolong Research Center had developed anti-CDV antibodies [9]. In 2014-2015, a CDV epidemic was reported in captive pandas at the Shaanxi Rare Wild Animal Rescue and Breeding Center (SWARBC), China [10, 11]. The Foping National Nature Reserve (FNNR) is located in the Qinling Mountains, 57.7 km from SWARBC and has the highest density of freeranging giant pandas [12, 13]
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