Natural infection with canine distemper virus in hand-feeding Rhesus monkeys in China

An outbreak of canine distemper virus (CDV) in hand-feeding Rhesus monkeys in China was reported. Twenty Rhesus monkeys presented blood and mucus in feces, respiratory symptoms, anorexia, acute fever, thicken of footpad and red rashes in the faces over 1-month period. CDV infection was identified by characteristic clinical signs, the specific detection of the BIT Rapid color CDV detection kit, electron microscopy and the results of sequence aligning. A phylogenetic analysis further confirmed that the CDV in the Rhesus monkeys belonged to the clade of the epidemic CDV types of China. All the infected monkeys were monitored and treated with antiserum therapy. The antiserum therapy seemed more effective for adult monkeys than young monkeys. Twelve monkeys died. The high mortality might indicate that the virulence of CDV to monkeys was enhanced. This is the first report we are aware of documenting Rhesus monkeys infected with CDV in China. Urgent work should be done to prevent the possibly epidemic of CDV in non-human primate.