Abstract:
Human wildlife gap has shrunk due to urbanization and agricultural expansion. Domestic animals and wild mammals are pushed closer together, enabling disease transmission between the two groups. Recent discovery in 2019 of Awang Besul, the first Malayan tiger to succumb to the canine distemper virus (CDV) in Kampung Besul Lama, Terengganu highlights the urgency of this issue. Thus, this study identified potential CDV hosts and antigen status of these to formulate efforts to prevent wildlife transmission in Kampung Besul Lama. Potential CDV hosts were captured using baited wildlife traps, and species were identified and documented. Biological samples were also obtained, utilizing nasal and ocular swabs for the detection of CDV via RT-PCR. Multiple different species of small mammals were trapped and three tree shrews Tupaia gais were positive for the CDV antigen. The discovery of CDV antigen in this species, suggests disease maintenance in small mammal populations. Movement of small mammals harbouring disease between Kampung Besul Lama and forests reserve could become the bridge of animal disease transmission between wildlife and domestic groups, which in turn could infect Malayan tigers. Introduction of the CDV virus to wild tiger populations via small mammals could lead to an extinction level event, thus understanding the mode of transmission of the CDV would benefit
conservation effort here in Malaysia.
Bryan Andrew Lazarus, Muhammad Farris Mohd Sadali, Farina Mustaffa Kamal et al. Canine Distemper Virus Spillover Into Wildlife Population in Kampung Besul Lama, Terengganu Malaysia, 21 August 2024, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4770815/v1]
