Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) caused the death of five Asiatic lions in Gir forest, Gujarat, the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) National Institute of Virology (NIV) has found.

In the past, CDV has wiped out 30 per cent of the lion population in the Serengeti forests in East Africa. Considering the threat posed by CDV, ICMR has requested the Centre to take immediate steps to save the Asiatic lions, which are heading towards extinction.

As a precautionary measure, 300 shots of CDV vaccine are being imported from the US. ICMR has also recommended that the Gir lions be placed in two to three different sanctuaries.

For the first time, NIV has recovered a complete genome of CDV. The sequence was compared to available CDV sequences and was found to be related to the East African strains. The scientists at ICMR-NIV recommended the existing CDV vaccine, which should work as a protective intervention for the Gir lions.

CDV causes a highly contagious and life-threatening disease in dogs. CDV also affects other wild carnivores, including wolves, foxes, raccoons, red pandas, ferrets, hyenas, tigers, and lions. The prevalence of this virus and its diversity in the country’s wildlife has not been studied.

There are only a few reports available on the detection of CDV in captive wild carnivores, including tigers and red panda. A report of CDV infection from Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, in 2016, which was confirmed by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, found dogs to be the primary source of infection and virus transmission.

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