Description
Canine distemper virus (CDV) primarily affects dogs and some wild carnivores. In dogs, acute systemic infection causes biphasic fever, lethargy, anorexia, serous to mucopurulent oculonasal discharge, cough, dyspnoea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and often hyperkeratosis of nasal planum and footpads (“hard pad”). Neurological disease may follow or overlap, with seizures (often “chewing gum” fits), myoclonus, ataxia, paresis, or behaviour changes; enamel hypoplasia in juveniles and chorioretinitis can also occur.
Typical samples are conjunctival, nasal or oropharyngeal swabs, whole blood (EDTA), urine, and CSF in neurological cases. Antigen detection (immunofluorescence on conjunctival/urine smears) and serology (rising IgG titres in unvaccinated dogs) support infection, but qPCR targeting CDV RNA on swabs, blood, or CSF is now the preferred method to confirm active infection and distinguish field virus from vaccine where assays are strainspecific.?
