Pathology of morbillivirus infections in marine mammals

• Main Authors: Jauniaux, Thierry, Coignoul, Freddy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ULg - Université de Liège 2001
• Subjects: Life sciences; Veterinary medicine & animal health; Sciences du vivant; Médecine vétérinaire & santé animale; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/77394; https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/77394/1/MarineMammalsMorbilli.pdf

peer reviewed Morbillivirus infections were described since 1988 in marine mammals including pinnipeds and cetaceans. Since, numerous outbreaks, responsible for thousands marine mammals death, as well as sporadic cases, have occurred in various populations from North Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Baikal Lake, Caspian Sea, and recently from northern Pacific. Clinical signs and macroscopic lesions are similar between species infected by morbillivirus and are close to those reported in dog with canine distemper. Under microscope, characteristic les ions are interstitial bronchopneumonia, lymphoid depletion and subacute encephalitis. Syncytia and inclusion bodies are frequently observed in lesions and epithelia. Lymphoid depletion promotes secondary infections by opportunistic pathogens, responsible in many cases of the animals death. Various parameters explain the high sensibility of certain population such as the species, the naive immunological status and vectors intervention for the disease.