Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Distemper-like illness in puppies caused by vaccine virus strain
By Pekkarinen, Henna M et al.·Published in Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases·2024·Finnish Food Authority·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Post-vaccinal distemper-like disease in two dog litters with confirmed infection of vaccine virus strain.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of puppies from two different litters developed serious health issues after receiving their distemper vaccinations. In the first litter, five out of ten puppies showed symptoms like fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea shortly after vaccination, with four puppies sadly dying or needing to be euthanized. In the second litter, two puppies experienced neurological problems months later, and autopsies revealed brain inflammation. Tests confirmed that the vaccine strain of the virus was present in the affected tissues. The exact cause of these reactions is still unclear, and further research is needed to determine if an underlying immune issue played a role.
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Abstract
Modified live canine distemper virus (CDV) vaccines are widely used and considered both safe and effective. Although there are occasional literature reports of suspected vaccine-induced disease, there are none where the vaccine strain has been identified in affected tissues. Here we describe two such cases in different litters. In litter A, five of ten puppies presented with fever, anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea a few days post-vaccination. Four puppies died or were euthanized, and autopsy revealed atypical necrosis of the lymphoid tissue. In litter B, two of five puppies developed typical neurological signs some months post-vaccination and autopsy revealed encephalitis. In all cases, affected organs tested positive for CDV on immunohistochemistry, and CDV RNA extracted from the lesions confirmed the presence of vaccine strain. Since multiple puppies from each litter were affected, it cannot be excluded without further studies that some undiagnosed inherited immunodeficiency disorder may have been involved.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38142559/