GENERAL ASPECTS OF DISEASE: LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Morbillivirus has single-stranded, negative-sense RNA and lacks the reverse transcriptase enzyme, and is therefore not a retrovirus. Systemic infection by Morbillivirus can be found in wild canines, procyonids such as raccoons, kinkajous, bears, mustelids, hyenas, large felines, domestic felines, cetaceans, non-human primates, and humans. The great ability of Morbillivirus to cross species barriers is due to mutations in the H protein of the lipoprotein envelope, making it a pantropic virus. Outbreaks of diseases caused by Morbillivirus have been recorded in different species in the same period because, in addition to high virulence, infected animals are reservoirs of the disease and agents of intraspecies and interspecies transmission. This characteristic of Morbillivirus makes it difficult to eradicate VCC (canine distemper virus) infections, although vaccines are available for some affected species. The study of the interactions of Morbillivirus with different species leads us to discuss the concepts of 'One World One Health', 'One Medicine', and 'One Health' when correlated with the risks to human and animal health that Morbillivirus represents. The epidemiological surveillance work of VCC is significantly important because it is an emerging infectious disease that represents a threat to the health of humans and animals. Some studies indicate that the measles virus is derived from the distemper virus or the rinderpest virus. This study is a compilation of articles published in the literature, which provide information about the pathological mechanisms used by Morbillivirus to infect the host and brain structures with the description of the lesions. In addition, this literature review addresses the epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, histological changes, and clinical and laboratory diagnosis of distemper.