Distemper‐like disease in Harbor Seals: Virus Isolation, further Pathologic and Serologic Findings*

• Published in: Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series B
• Main Authors: Hofmeister, R., Breuer, E., Ernst, R., Hentschke, J., Mölle, G., Ludwig, H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1988
• Subjects: Phoca vitulina; seehund
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0450.1988.tb00557.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1439-0450.1988.tb00557.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1439-0450.1988.tb00557.x

Summary Pathologic‐histologic and immunocytologic as well as serologic findings from a total number of 50 recently dead or euthanatized moribund harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina ) are described. In 14 of 31 histologically examined brains of affected seals alterations corresponding to canine distemper encephalitis (CDE) were found. Immunofluorescence‐serologic tests using polyclonal as well as monoclonal antibodies against canine distemper virus (CDV) resulted in positive findings in organ sections of 24 dead seals. An agent was isolated from organs of dead seals and subjected to several passages in vero cell cultures as well as in primary seal lung‐cell cultures. The agent was able to be identified as canine distemper‐like virus with both antibodies. CDV neutralising serum‐antibodies were detected in 13 out of 19 serum specimens. Further interdisciplinary investigations are required to determine whether the virus induced alterations — still to be interpretated only in a purely qualitative sense — should be considered as the manifestation of contributing ecological factors, or as the primary cause of the still present deaths of harbor seals. Zusammenfassung Staupeähnliche Erkrankung beim Seehund: Virusisolierung, weitere pathologische und serologische Untersuchungsergebnisse Es werden pathologisch‐histologische, immunozytologische sowie serologische Untersuchungsergebnisse von insgesamt 50 frischtoten oder moribund euthanasierten Seehunden ( Phoca vitulina ) beschrieben. In 14 der 31 histologisch untersuchten Gehirne finden sich der caninen Staupeenzephalitis (CDE) entsprechende morphologische Veränderungen. Unter Verwendung eines polyklonalen (CDV Gamakon) sowie eines monoklonalen (D 110) Antikörpers gegen CDV wird bei immunozytologischen Untersuchungen an Organschnitten in 24 Fällen CDV‐Antigen nachgewiesen. Sowohl in Vero‐Zellen als auch in primären Seehundslungenzellkulturen gelingt die Isolierung eines Agens, das mit beiden Antikörpern als CDV‐ähnlich identifiziert werden kann. In 13 von 19 Fällen werden im ...