Coinfection by Cetacean morbillivirus and Aspergillus fumigatus in a juvenile bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Gulf of Mexico.

A recently deceased juvenile male bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was found floating in the Gulf of Mexico, off Sand Key in Clearwater, Florida. At autopsy, we identified pneumonia and a focus of malacia in the right cerebrum. Cytologic evaluation of tissue imprints from the right cerebrum revealed fungal hyphae. Fungal cultures of the lung and brain yielded Aspergillus fumigatus, which was confirmed by amplification of a portion of the fungal nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 region sequence. Microscopic pulmonary lesions of bronchiolar epithelial cell syncytia with intracytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions within bronchiolar epithelial cells were suggestive of Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) infection. The occurrence of CeMV infection was supported by positive immunohistochemical staining for morbillivirus antigen. CeMV detection was confirmed by amplification and sequencing a portion of the morbilliviral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene from lung tissue. This case provides CeMV sequence data available from the Gulf of Mexico and underscores the need for genomic sequencing across diverse host, temporospatial, and population (i.e., single animal vs. mass mortality events) scales to improve our understanding of these globally emerging pathogens.

Comparison of monoclonal antibody-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus isolation for detection of peste des petits ruminants virus in goat tissues and secretions.

A monoclonal antibody-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (S-ELISA) was developed for specific detection of peste des petits ruminants virus. Compared with virus isolation in Vero cell cultures using 89 paired tissue and secretion samples from six experimentally infected goats, S-ELISA was significantly more sensitive (71.9% versus 65.2%; P < 0.05). The S-ELISA is a suitable alternative to virus isolation.

Laboratory testing in patients with morbilliform viral eruptions.

The explosion of immunologic testing capabilities over the past 20 years has enabled clinicians to accurately diagnose many conditions that previously were very difficult to identify solely on a clinical basis. Among these disorders are the viral exanthems. Infections with some of these viruses are of relatively little import (erythema infectiosum), whereas others have more significant consequences (HIV, cytomegalovirus). Clinical suspicions may be pursued more fully now, sometimes even in an office setting.

Biological properties of phocine distemper virus and canine distemper virus.

Morbilliviruses constitute a major threat to the health of animal and man. To date the Morbillivirus genus in the Paramyxoviridae family comprises five established members, namely canine distemper virus (CDV), phocine distemper virus (PDV), measles virus (MV), rinderpest virus (RPV), and peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV). In addition, morbillivirus candidates infecting aquatic mammals were recently discovered. The present review on the biology of morbilliviruses focuses on knowledge gained by our group in studies on PDV and CDV. The aims of these studies were: i) to investigate the biological properties of the recently recognized PDV, which was found to be the primary etiology of epidemics with high mortality in seals in Western Europe, ii) to extend our knowledge of the biological properties of CDV. The morbillivirus particle is enveloped. The helical nucleocapsid core contains a single-stranded, non-segmented RNA genome of negative sense of 15 to 16 kilobases in length. The genome is organized in six transcriptional units or genes. Overall, the studies of the genome of PDV revealed a genetic map principally fitting with that determined for other morbilliviruses. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences have been determined for five PDV genes named in analogy with the encoded structural proteins of other morbilliviruses in the order: 3'N(1683)-P(1644)-M(1443)-F(2206)-H(1952)-L5' (The figures in brackets denote nucleotide lengths of the genes of the Danish PDV isolate). The L gene (covering approximately 8900 nucleotides) remains to be sequenced. The six genes are likely to code for at least eight distinct proteins. The nucleocapsid (N) protein was found to consist of 523 amino acids in PDV. The following gene of the transcription map encoded the P protein of 507 amino acid residues. Similar to other morbilliviruses, the P gene of PDV was shown to have additional coding capacity for two distinct proteins V (299 amino acids) and C (174 amino acids). The results presented provide evidence for editing at transcript of the PDV P gene by insertion of nontemplated G residues at a specific site. The edited version of the mRNA was found to encode the cystein-rich V protein. The three envelope-associated proteins of PDV were predicted to consist of 335 (M), 537 (F0) and 607 (H) amino acid residues. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the N, P, M, F, and H genes of PDV were aligned with corresponding sequences of other established members of the genus Morbillivirus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)