Cetacean Morbillivirus: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

“…Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) is a highly contagious paramyxovirus that is well-recognized to cause dolphin die offs in the United States, including those that occurred along the US east coast (in 1987−1988 and 2013−2015) and the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in 1993−1994 (Lipscomb et al 1994, Krafft et al 1995, Van Bressem et al 2014. DMV is most closely related to the measles, rinderpest, and peste des petits ruminants viruses (Haffar et al 1999, Saliki et al 2002.…”

“…Of these, 2 are found in pinnipeds and sea otters: (1) canine distemper virus in seals and (2) phocine distemper virus in sea otters and seals. Those found in cetaceans such as dolphins, porpoises and whales include (3) DMV, (4) porpoise morbillivirus, (5) pilot whale morbillivirus and (6) Longman's beaked whale morbillivirus (Ken nedy 1998, Taubenberger et al 2000, DiGuardo et al 2005, Van Bressem et al 2014. Dolphins with morbillivirus infections often die either due to acute viral pneumonia, viral en cephalitis, or from fungal or bacterial infections secondary to pan-lymphoid depletion and immunosuppression (Van Bressem et al 2014).…”