Distemper in whales

The first evidence has been uncovered that whales can suffer and die from morbilliviruses, which cause distemper and have wreaked havoc among seals and dolphins. Thierry Jauniaux and colleagues at the University of Liège examined a dead fin whale that had been washed up on the Belgian coast last November. The animal was emaciated and had cellular agglomerations in its lymph nodes, both symptoms of distemper. They found signs of dog and seal distemper viruses.