Canine distemper virus and multiple sclerosis
Citation Manager Formats
Make Comment
See Comments

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
One of many hypotheses in the literature addressing the etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) proposes that exposure to canine distemper virus increases the risk of MS. Canine distemper virus is one of more than a dozen viruses that, at one time or another, have been thought to be involved in the etiology of MS. This review briefly summarizes the epidemiologic evidence for this relationship.
Epidemiologic investigations of MS have reported marked geographic variation in MS prevalence, and it is now widely believed that MS is a disease with a long latency period following a critical event likely occurring during childhood or early adolescence.1 Studies of migrants between countries with differing prevalence indicate that people born in a high-prevalence area who move to a low-prevalence area develop MS at the same rate as the population of the host country if this move occurs prior to adolescence. If the move takes place after adolescence, the evidence indicates that individuals retain the risk of their native country.2 This evidence is quite convincing for migrants from high-prevalence to low-prevalence areas, but less so for the reverse pattern of migration from countries of low-prevalence moving to countries of high prevalence.1
These data suggest that one or more environmental exposures occurring before adolescence may pre-dispose to developing MS later in life. Since exposure to numerous viruses occurs during childhood, and since viruses are well recognized causes of demyelination and inflammatory responses, MS may have a viral etiology. Many authors have investigated infectious agents, with particular interest in viruses, including Epstein-Barr virus, varicella, and canine distemper virus.2,3
Canine distemper virus is a ubiquitous neurotropic virus causing canine distemper in the animal families Canidae (dog, fox, coyote, and wolf), Mustelidae (mink, otter, weasel, skunk, marten, fisher, and wolverine), and Procyonidae (raccoon) as well as …
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
For assistance, please contact:
AAN Members (800) 879-1960 or (612) 928-6000 (International)
Non-AAN Member subscribers (800) 638-3030 or (301) 223-2300 option 3, select 1 (international)
Sign Up
Information on how to subscribe to Neurology and Neurology: Clinical Practice can be found here
Purchase
Individual access to articles is available through the Add to Cart option on the article page. Access for 1 day (from the computer you are currently using) is US$ 39.00. Pay-per-view content is for the use of the payee only, and content may not be further distributed by print or electronic means. The payee may view, download, and/or print the article for his/her personal, scholarly, research, and educational use. Distributing copies (electronic or otherwise) of the article is not allowed.
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Dr. Nicole Sur and Dr. Mausaminben Hathidara
► Watch
Related Articles
- No related articles found.
Alert Me
Recommended articles
-
Article
Incidence and prevalence of MS in childrenA population-based study in Ontario, CanadaRuth Ann Marrie, Julia O'Mahony, Colleen Maxwell et al.Neurology, September 26, 2018 -
Review
Lower prevalence of multiple sclerosis in First Nations CanadiansRuth Ann Marrie, Stella Leung, Nancy Yu et al.Neurology: Clinical Practice, January 23, 2018 -
Articles
The rising prevalence and changing age distribution of multiple sclerosis in ManitobaR. A. Marrie, N. Yu, J. Blanchard et al.Neurology, January 13, 2010 -
Views & Reviews
A new way to estimate neurologic disease prevalence in the United StatesIllustrated with MSLorene M. Nelson, Mitchell T. Wallin, Ruth Ann Marrie et al.Neurology, February 15, 2019