Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Morbillivirus Canine distemper virus
Moquillo canino, Distemper canino
There are reports of CDV epidemics on Santa Cruz Island in 2001, 2009 and 2019. This virus has been detected in sea lions. Further research is needed to understand disease transmission between domestic animals and wildlife.
Domain
Virus
Kingdom
Incertae sedis
Phylum
Incertae sedis
Class
Incertae sedis
Order
Mononegavirales
Family
Paramyxoviridae
Genus
Morbillivirus
Species
Canine distemper virus
Taxon category: Accepted
Origin: Introduced - established
Year of first record: 2001
Mode of introduction: Accidental
Introduction Pathway: Contaminant
Subpathway: Parasites/pathogens on animals
Introduced status: Naturalized
Invasive status: No data
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Isabela, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz
- Levy, J.K. Crawford, C., Lappin, M.R., Dubovi, E.J,. Levy, M.G., Alleman, R., Tucker, S.J. & Clifford, E.L. (2008) Infectious diseases of dogs and cats on Isabela island, Galapagos. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 22: 60-65.
- International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) (2010) Virus Taxonomy List: 2009 Release, online database. http://www.ictvonline.org/virusTaxonomy.asp?version=2009.
- Vega-Mariño, P. Olson, J., Howitt, B., Criollo, R., Figueroa, L., Orlando, S.A., Cruz, M. & Garcia-Bereguiain, M.A. (2023) Vega-Mariño, P., Olson, J., Howitt, B., Criollo, R., Figueroa, L., Orlando, S.A., Cruz, M. and Garcia-Bereguiain, M.A., 2023. A recent distemper virus outbreak in the growing canine populations of Galapagos Islands: a persistent threat for the endangered Galapagos Sea Lion. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, p.1154625
- Ruiz-Saenz, J. Ruiz-Saenz J, Barragan V, Grijalva-Rosero CJ, Diaz EA, Páez-Rosas D. (2023) Seroconversion in Galapagos Sea Lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) Confirms the Presence of Canine Distemper Virus in Rookeries of San Cristóbal Island Animals. 2023 Nov 26;13(23):3657.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Morbillivirus Canine distemper virus", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=11727. Accessed 21 August 2025.