Cetacean morbillivirus
{{Short description|Species of virus}}
{{Virusbox
| name = Cetacean morbillivirus
| image =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| parent = Morbillivirus
| species = Morbillivirus ceti
| synonyms =
| synonyms_ref =
| subdivision_ranks = Strains
| subdivision =
- Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV)
- Pilot whale morbillivirus (PWMV)
- Porpoise morbillivirus (PMV)
}}
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is a virus that infects marine mammals in the order Cetacea, which includes dolphins, porpoises and whales.{{Cite journal
| doi = 10.1016/S0378-1135(99)00080-2
| last1 = Barrett | first1 = T.
| title = Morbillivirus infections, with special emphasis on morbilliviruses of carnivores
| journal = Veterinary Microbiology
| volume = 69
| issue = 1–2
| pages = 3–13
| year = 1999
| pmid = 10515262
}} Three genetically distinct strains have been identified: dolphin morbillivirus (DMV), pilot whale morbillivirus (PWMV) and porpoise morbillivirus (PMV).{{Cite journal
| last1 = Bellière | first1 = E. N.
| last2 = Esperón | first2 = F.
| last3 = Fernández | first3 = A.
| last4 = Arbelo | first4 = M.
| last5 = Muñoz | first5 = M. J.
| last6 = Sánchez-Vizcaíno | first6 = J. M.
| doi = 10.1016/j.rvsc.2010.05.038
| title = Phylogenetic analysis of a new Cetacean morbillivirus from a short-finned pilot whale stranded in the Canary Islands
| journal = Research in Veterinary Science
| volume = 90
| issue = 2
| pages = 324–328
| year = 2011
| pmid = 20576281
| pmc =
}} Symptoms of infection are often a severe combination of pneumonia, encephalitis and damage to the immune system, which greatly impair the cetacean's ability to swim and stay afloat unassisted.{{Cite journal
| last1 = Guardo | first1 = G. D.
| last2 = Marruchella | first2 = G.
| last3 = Agrimi | first3 = U.
| last4 = Kennedy | first4 = S.
| title = Morbillivirus Infections in Aquatic Mammals: A Brief Overview
| doi = 10.1111/j.1439-0442.2005.00693.x
| journal = Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A
| volume = 52
| issue = 2
| pages = 88–93
| year = 2005
| pmid = 15737178
| pmc =
| hdl = 11575/80640
| hdl-access = free
| last1 = Stone | first1 = B. M.
| last2 = Blyde | first2 = D. J.
| last3 = Saliki | first3 = J. T.
| last4 = Blas-Machado | first4 = U.
| last5 = Bingham | first5 = J.
| last6 = Hyatt | first6 = A.
| last7 = Wang | first7 = J.
| last8 = Payne | first8 = J.
| last9 = Crameri | first9 = S.
| doi = 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2011.00849.x
| title = Fatal cetacean morbillivirus infection in an Australian offshore bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
| journal = Australian Veterinary Journal
| volume = 89
| issue = 11
| pages = 452–457
| year = 2011
| pmid = 22008125
| pmc =
| doi-access = free
}} Since its discovery in 1987, CeMV has been responsible for numerous epizootics of mass mortality in cetacean populations. Epizootics of CeMV can be easily identified by a significant increase in the number of stranded cetaceans on beaches and shores.{{cite news|last=Peterson|first=B.|date=23 October 2013|title=Dolphin-killing morbillivirus arrives in South Carolina|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20131022/PC16/131029827/1032/dolphin-killing-morbillivirus-arrives-in-south-carolina|newspaper=The Post and Courier|accessdate=9 November 2013}}