Dogs, distemper, and multiple sclerosis in the United States

Abstract

Geographic distribution of multiple sclerosis (MS) was defined by case/ control ratios for state of pre-illness residence for US white male veterans "service-connected" for MS. The Veterinary Medical Data Program of the National Cancer Institute receives diagnostic information from most of the university veterinary medical centers in the US (and Canada). The Center for Disease Control had carried out a 2-year surveillance, program for human bites by animals. State distributions for MS were compared with those for the proportion of admissions for canine distemper (CD), the ratio of CD cases to the human papulatim, and human bites by dogs per unit of population. There was no evidence that any of the CD risk indices was positively correlated with that for MS. These results suggest that CD, exposure to dogs, or dog bites are unlikely to be involved in the etiology of MS.

Epidemiological features and the neuropathological manifestations of canine distemper virus-induced infections in Brazil: a review

“…This CDV related MS theory gained support from several epidemiological questionerbased surveys which tried to establish an association of MS with household dogs and also with dogs having neurological disease DOWLING, 1977;JOTKOWITZ, 1977), and from serological observations that detected antibodies of the H protein gene of CDV in humans with MS (ROHOWSKY-KOCHAN; DOWLING; COOK, 1995). However, other epidemiological surveys (READ et al, 1982;ANDERSON et al, 1984) and serological studies (KRAKOWKA; KOESTNER, 1978;GORHAM;HABICHT;LACHMANN, 1980;APPEL et al, 1981) have not confirmed the likelihood of CDV being associated with MS. Further, an extensive epidemiologic study done throughout the USA by the National Cancer Institute in association with the national database of Veterinary School in the USA and Canada did not find any correlation between CDV and MS (KURTZKE; PRIESTER, 1979 Finkelsztejn et al (2009). The prevalence of MS in north-eastern regions of Brazil is estimated at 5%, and 15% to 18% within the south-south eastern regions (CARDOSO et al, 2006).…”

“…The virion proteins of CDV include three nucleocapsid proteins: an RNAbinding protein (N) previously referred to as nucleocapsid protein (NP), a phosphoprotein (P), and a polymerase protein (L); and three membrane proteins: a matrix protein (M); one fusion (F), and an attachment hemagglutinin protein (H) (LAMB; KOLAKOFSKY, 2001;MACLACHLAN;DUBOVI, 2011).…”

“…CDV is a member of the genus Morbillivirus, family Paramyxoviridae (LAMB; KOLAKOFSKY, 2001;MACLACHLAN;DUBOVI, 2011). CDV is antigenically similar to Rinderpest virus, phocine distemper virus, equine morbillivirus, cetacean morbillivirus, and pest des petit ruminants virus (QUINN et al, 2004;MACLACHLAN;DUBOVI, 2011).…”