DEFINITION
An acute to subacute contagious febrile and often fatal disease with respiratory, gastrointestinal, and CNS manifestations
Caused by CDV, a morbillivirus in the Paramyxoviridae family
Affects many different species of the order Carnivora; mortality rate varies greatly among species.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Natural route of infection—airborne and droplet exposure; from the nasal cavity, pharynx, and lungs, macrophages carry the virus to local lymph nodes, where virus replication occurs; within 1 week, virtually all lymphatic tissues become infected; spreads via viremia to the surface epithelium of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urogenital tracts and to the CNS
Fever for 1–2 days and lymphopenia may be the only findings during initial period; further development depends on the virus strain and the immune response.
Strong cellular and humoral immune response—may remain subclinical
Weak immune response—subacute infection; may survive longer
Failure of immune response—acute death within 2–4 weeks after infection; convulsions and other CNS disturbances frequent causes of death
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