Cetacean morbillivirus
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| Cetacean morbillivirus | |
|---|---|
Virus classification  | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
| Phylum: | Negarnaviricota |
| Class: | Monjiviricetes |
| Order: | Mononegavirales |
| Family: | Paramyxoviridae |
| Genus: | Morbillivirus |
| Species: | Morbillivirus ceti |
| Strains | |
| |
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is a virus that infects marine mammals in the clade Cetacea (dolphins, porpoises and whales).[1] Three genetically distinct strains have been identified: dolphin morbillivirus (DMV), pilot whale morbillivirus (PWMV) and porpoise morbillivirus (PMV).[2] Symptoms are often a severe combination of pneumonia, encephalitis and immune system damage, which greatly impair the ability to swim and stay afloat unassisted.[3][4] Since its discovery in 1987, CeMV has caused many epizootics of mass mortality in cetacean populations.[3] Epizootics of CeMV can be easily identified by a significant increase in the number of stranded cetaceans on beaches and shores.[5]
