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Canine distemper virus found in foxes and badgers in northern Italy

Clearly visible red fox in natural habitat
Research: Disease, parasites & microbiology, Genetics & genomics

Canine distemper virus (CDV), which causes a highly contagious disease in dogs and wild carnivores, was detected in red foxes and European badgers in Piacenza Province, northern Italy. The study covered 2021 to June 2026. Of 43 wild carnivores examined, 12 tested positive: six foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and six badgers.

The animals had been found dead or were alive with signs or lesions that raised suspicion of distemper. No samples from 2021–2023 tested positive; detections came from 2024 onward. Because the animals were selected for examination based on these concerns, the results do not show how common infection was among foxes or badgers in the wider area.

Eight positive animals came from Val Tidone and four from neighbouring Val Trebbia. These are counts among the animals examined, not estimates of infection rates in the two valleys.

Genetic similarities to viruses in the Alps

Researchers obtained complete sequences of the H gene from four positive animals. The gene encodes hemagglutinin, a viral protein; comparing its sequence helps show how closely related different viruses are. All four sequences clustered in clade A within the Europe/South America 1 lineage, a group of related CDV strains. Their closest matches were previously reported viruses from Switzerland and the Italian Alps.

The similarity suggests a possible regional epidemiological connection, but cannot establish where the virus originated or in which direction it spread. The comparison was based on four complete sequences.

Reported lesions in positive animals included intestinal bleeding and inflammation, pneumonia, and thickened footpad skin in one badger. These signs alone are not specific to distemper; the animals were confirmed positive by molecular testing.

The findings show that CDV was circulating among foxes and badgers in this part of northern Italy in recent years. The authors recommend continued molecular monitoring to follow the virus and clarify its spread. The study does not establish whether the virus is maintained in the local wild populations.

Sources and image credit

  1. Detection and Phylogenetic Characterization of Canine Distemper Virus (Morbillivirus canis) in Wild Foxes and Badgers from Northern Italy in 2021–2026Primærstudien om prøvetaking, viruspåvisning, genetiske sekvenser, resultater og forskernes tolkning.
  2. Most Recent Articles — AnimalsForlagets artikkelliste bekrefter tittel og publiseringsdato.

Image: Wild red fox. Photo: Chuck Homler / FocusOnWildlife.Me, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative photo. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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Disease, parasites & microbiology

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