Canine Distemper Virus:
A tigress and her last surviving cub recently died at the Mukki quarantine facility in Madhya Pradesh’s Kanha Tiger Reserve following a suspected outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV).
- Canine Distemper Virus is a highly contagious and potentially fatal viral disease caused by a single-stranded RNA virus of the Paramyxoviridae family (the same family as measles and mumps).
- It is a multi-systemic disease, meaning it attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems of a wide variety of mammals.
- First Reports: Officially reported in Spain in 1761 and described by Edward Jenner in 1809.
- Viral Discovery: Henri Carré identified the viral cause in 1905.
- The virus has historically threatened endangered species, contributing to the near-extinction of the black-footed ferret and causing significant declines in Serengeti lion populations.
