Etiology of Canine Distemper

Abstract

NO•4 HISTORY OF THE DISEASE. Canine distemper is an acute infectious disease peculiar to dogs. It has been variously termed canine distemper, canine plague, wheel plague, canine glanders, catarrhal fever, etc. It is called by the Germans" Hundestaupe," "Staupe der Hunde," or "Hundekrankheit"; by the French, "maladie des chiens" or "maladie du jeune age"; and by the Italians "cimurro" or "moccio canino." Distemper is caused by a specific poison, the etiological factor, probably a microorganism , which finds its way into the system through the respiratory tract. Young animals are most susceptible to the disease, which is found running its course, according to the textbooks, as a catarrhal fever, affecting at one time or another all the mucous membranes of the body, and often accompanied with certain nervous symptoms and skin eruptions. As with measles and whooping cough of the human race, very few of the young escape, and, usually, one attack confers immunity. It exists in all countries and may be found at any season of the year, although the spring and summer months are the most favorable ..

Molecular Pathogenesis, Epidemiology, and Clinical Manifestations of Respiratory Infections Due toBordetella pertussisand OtherBordetellaSubspecies

“…bronchiseptica was first isolated during the first decade of the 20th century by Ferry, McGowan and perhaps others in studies of dogs suffering from distemper (240,242,243,283,511,658,761,831). Further studies in the early 20th century demonstrated B. bronchiseptica infections in many animals and also humans (79,241,283,511,658,689,761,831).…”

Human infections associated with Bordetella bronchiseptica

“…Ferry (61)(62)(63), using the name Bacillus bronchisepticus; McGowan (111), using the term Bacillus bronchicanis; and Torrey and Rahe (161), using Ferry's epithet, independently observed the association of a small gram-negative coccobacillus with outbreaks of "canine distemper" and respiratory tract illness in laboratory animals such as the cat, rabbit, and guinea pig. Because it was known later by a variety of names such as Haemophilus bronchiseptica (134), Brucella bronchiseptica (134), Bacillus suisepticus (44), Alcaligenes bronchicanis (134), and Alcaligenes bronchisepticus (134), the microorganism's taxonomic status and etiologic role in disease were hampered by both the state of the evolving microbiology and its commensal or opportunistic field of involvement in then poorly understood viral infections such as distemper (2,48,99,159,169).…”

“…(122,123). Discrepancies in susceptibility test results for the studies summarized in Table 2 (8-10, 12, 73, 158, 160) some five decades after the initial independent observations of Ferry (61)(62)(63)(64)(65), McGowan (111), and Torrey and Rahe (161). On the basis of recent studies using the most stringent conditions (11,89) (12).…”

“…In an early report (65) and in a personal communication to Brown (22), Ferry described isolating B. bronchiseptica in pure culture from the sputum of a symptomatic adult male laboratory worker (case 24) who had been exposed to guinea pigs with B. bronchiseptica infection. The microbiological characteristics of the isolate were presumably those described by Ferry in an earlier report of B. bronchiseptica infection in dogs (62).…”

Taxonomy of Bordetella and Related Organisms of the Families Achromobacteraceae, Brucellaceae, and Neisseriaceae

“…This organism was originally isolated from dogs by Ferry (22) and named Bacillus bronchicanis (23). In a later paper, Ferry (24) changed the specific epithet to bronchiseptica because the organism was able to produce disease in other animals besides dogs.…”