Molecular screening and phylogenetic analysis of canine morbillivirus circulating in Indian wildlife

Canine morbillivirus, more commonly known as canine distemper virus (CDV), is a significant threat to wildlife populations. The disease becomes more important when one considers the diverse ecosystems of India. Previously thought to be confined only to dogs, this virus has now spread to a wide range of wild animals and has been associated with severe disease in them. The present study elucidates the prevalence, molecular characteristics, and phylogenetic relationships of CDV strains circulating in Indian wildlife. Different tissue and blood samples were collected from wild carnivorous animals from different Indian states for a period of three years and examined for the presence of the N-gene by RT-PCR for viral detection. The overall prevalence of CDV in Indian wildlife was found to be 5.12%. Representative positive samples were further analysed through sequencing of the nucleocapsid gene to determine genetic diversity. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two distinct lineages of CDV, a large majority of which belonged to the novel India-1/Asia-5 lineage, which was previously shown to be circulating in domestic dogs in India. One sequence belonged to the America-1 lineage, which contains all the vaccine viruses. This research enhances our comprehension of CDV epidemiology in the Indian scenario and highlights the importance of continuous surveillance and the development of suitable control strategies to save wild and endangered species.