Advances in canine distemper virus pathogenesis research: a wildlife perspective

Canine distemper virus (CDV) has emerged as a significant disease of wildlife, which is highly contagious and readily transmitted between susceptible hosts. Initially described as an infectious disease of domestic dogs, it is now recognized as a global multi-host pathogen, infecting and causing mass mortalities in a wide range of carnivore species. The last decade has seen the effect of numerous CDV outbreaks in various wildlife populations. Prevention of CDV requires a clear understanding of the potential hosts in danger of infection as well as the dynamic pathways CDV uses to gain entry to its host cells and its ability to initiate viral shedding and disease transmission. We review recent research conducted on CDV infections in wildlife, including the latest findings on the causes of host specificity and cellular receptors involved in distemper pathogenesis.