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. 2018 Aug 2;15(1):118.
doi: 10.1186/s12985-018-1027-2.

Phylogenetic analysis of the wild-type strains of canine distemper virus circulating in the United States

Eman Anis  1   2 , Teresa K Newell  3 , Neil Dyer  3 , Rebecca P Wilkes  4
Affiliations

Phylogenetic analysis of the wild-type strains of canine distemper virus circulating in the United States

Eman Anis et al. Virol J. .

Abstract

Background: Canine distemper (CD) is a highly contagious, systemic, viral disease of dogs seen worldwide. Despite intensive vaccination in developed countries, recent reports suggest both the re-emergence and increased activity of Canine distemper virus (CDV) worldwide, including the United States. CDV is an RNA virus of the genus Morbillivirus within the family Paramyxoviridae. Viral genomic RNA encodes six structural proteins. Of the six structural proteins, the hemagglutinin (H) gene has the greatest genetic variation and is therefore a suitable target for molecular epidemiological studies. The majority of neutralizing epitopes are found on the H protein, making this gene also important for evaluation of changes over time that may result in antigenic differences among strains. The aim of this study was to determine the phylogenetic relationship of CDV strains circulating in the US.

Methods: Fifty-nine positive canine distemper virus samples collected from dogs from different regions and states from 2014 to 2017 were sequenced with a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) method. The sequences of the H, F, and P genes and the matrix-fusion (M-F) intergenic region of the amplified CDVs were analyzed individually.

Results: Sequence analysis of the H gene revealed that there are at least 3 different lineages of CDV currently circulating in the US. These lineages include America-3 (Edomex), America-4, and a clade that was previously reported in association with an outbreak in Wyoming, which was linked to a domestic dog-breeding facility in Kansas in 2010. These lineages differ from the historically identified lineages in the US, including America-1, which contains the majority of the vaccine strains. Genetic differences may result in significant changes to the neutralizing epitopes that consequently may lead to vaccine failure. Phylogenetic analyses of the nucleotide sequences obtained in this study of the F and P genes and the M-F intergenic region with sequences from the GenBank database produced similar findings to the H gene analysis.

Conclusions: The CDV lineages currently circulating in the US differ from the historically identified lineages America-1. Continuous surveillance is required for monitoring circulating CDV strains in the US, to prevent potential vaccine breakthrough events.

Keywords: Canine distemper virus; Lineages; Phylogenetics; Targeted next generation sequencing.

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Conflict of interest statement

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Not applicable.

The author(s) declared that they have no competing interests.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Phylogenetic tree for H gene showing strains of CDV circulating in various region of the US
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Map to show the distribution of the three main CDV lineages currently circulating in the US
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Alignment of deduced amino acid sequence located between aa residues 364 and 392 of CDV-H protein among representative CDVs selected from each lineage identified in this study with the Onderstepoort strain of the America-1 lineage
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences of H gene of sample 136 as compared to other CDV H gene sequences available in the GenBank. This strain was the only one detected in this study to be grouped with America-1 lineage (vaccine strains)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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