Antibody titers against canine distemper virus in unvaccinated rural dogs from Ahvaz, Iran.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies to Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) in unvaccinated rural dogs without known immunization status and to assess risk factors for infection by means of indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA), in Ahvaz district, southwest of Iran. Serum samples were randomly collected from 97 healthy dogs 6 months and older from villages around Ahvaz city between 2004 and 2005. Dogs were grouped by age and sex to determine whether these factors were associated with antibody titers, using Fisher's exact test. Seroprevalence to CDV antibodies in these dogs were 17.52% indicating that this virus is present in the ecosystem. Also there is evidence of previous natural exposure to CDV. Prevalence of antibodies to CDV did not differ between sexes or ages. Rural dogs are abundant in the ecosystem of area and interact with other species of wild carnivores and domestic animals in ways that could encourage disease transmission. Therefore the role of rural dogs in the epizootiology of CDV in both urban dogs and wildlife needs to be further explored.