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Human and animal morbillivirus strains causing chronic neurological infections share key genotypic and phenotypic

Melvin Daniel Roji1, Franziska Geiselhardt1,2, Georg Beythien2

  • 1Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Foundation, Hannover 30559, Germany.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 7, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Animal morbilliviruses causing chronic central nervous system (CNS) disease evolve similar mechanisms to measles virus (MeV) causing SSPE. Studying these animal models offers insights into human SSPE pathogenesis and potential interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Neurology
  • Virology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a fatal neurological disease caused by persistent measles virus (MeV) infection.
  • Similar chronic neurological diseases occur in animals infected with related morbilliviruses like canine distemper virus (CDV), dolphin morbillivirus (DMV), and phocine distemper virus (PDV).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize animal morbilliviruses that persist in the CNS.
  • To compare their evolutionary mechanisms with MeV strains associated with SSPE.
  • To establish animal models for studying chronic morbillivirus CNS infections.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of persistent CDV, PDV, and DMV strains from various animal hosts.
  • Genomic characterization focusing on viral protein mutations (M and F proteins).
  • Comparative analysis of viral evolution in relation to SSPE pathogenesis.

Main Results:

  • CDVlynx and DMV232-18 strains exhibit nonfunctional matrix (M) proteins and hyperfusogenic fusion (F) proteins, similar to SSPE MeV.
  • PDV2001 shows complex mutations paralleling SSPE MeV.
  • PDV2014 demonstrates a nonfunctional M protein but an unmodified F protein, suggesting M protein changes are key for CNS persistence.

Conclusions:

  • Morbilliviruses across species converge on similar evolutionary pathways to persist in the CNS and cause chronic neurological disease.
  • Animal morbillivirus CNS infections serve as valuable models for understanding SSPE.
  • These models can aid in developing diagnostics and treatments for SSPE.
Keywords:
SSPEevolutionmeaslesmorbilliviruswildlife

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