Reposted by Nicole NovaDmitri Petrov @petrovadmitri.bsky.social · 23/07/2026I am very excited about a new paper from our lab by @nicole-nova.bsky.social and @kasolari.bsky.social on the persistence of CDV in wild populations. Our first foray into evolution and ecology of infectious disease. 1/n 153 5
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Huge thanks to all co-authors, which also includes Martin Gilbert, Julia Palacios, Liz Hadly, and my extremely supportive PhD advisors Erin Mordecai and Dmitri Petrov (@petrovadmitri.bsky.social), and everyone involved in this project! 030 3
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026A special shout-out to my project partner and co-first author Katie Solari (@kasolari.bsky.social) for developing the approach for sequencing a new branch of CDV genomes as it posed a real challenge, especially from old samples. 131 3
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026This one-of-a-kind study was only possible due to the precious Alaska samples provided by co-author Kimberlee Beckmen and colleagues at Alaska Department of Fish and Game. We're also grateful to co-author Ellen Brandell and the rest of the Yellowstone Wolf Project for obtaining the wolf sample. 122 2
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026These findings have immediate conservation implications. If wildlife can maintain CDV, monitoring only domestic dogs may miss key transmission events. Genomic surveillance in wildlife can reveal where the virus persists, how it spreads, and help protect threatened or endangered species. 100 1
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Arctic fox ecology may help explain these patterns. They can disperse enormous distances across sea ice, produce large litters each year, and frequently scavenge shared carcasses—all traits that could facilitate viral persistence and spread. 100 1
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Our global analysis revealed another surprise: the Arctic genomes are distinct from the Yellowstone lineage and closely related to Eurasian viruses. This points to multiple independent wildlife outbreaks in North America and possible movement between Eurasia and North America via the Arctic. 100 1
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026We also estimated that one recent outbreak spread very rapidly. Its estimated transmission intensity was comparable to highly transmissible human viruses, highlighting how explosively CDV can move once susceptible wildlife are present. 100 1
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026The outbreaks also weren't confined to a single species. The viral phylogeny indicates transmission among Arctic foxes, domestic dogs, and likely other canids—suggesting these outbreaks involve a multi-species transmission network, not just one host population. 100 1
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Our results challenge the prevailing idea that acute, immunizing viruses need domestic animal reservoirs to persist. Instead, sufficiently connected wildlife communities may be able to sustain transmission on their own, reshaping how we think about reservoir systems for this entire class of viruses. 121 2
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Our results suggest that CDV persisted in wildlife long-term. It appears to have persisted within local wildlife communities for nearly a decade, producing recurring seasonal outbreaks. To our knowledge, this is the first genomic evidence supporting long-term persistence of CDV in wildlife. 110 1
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026We analyzed nearly a decade of viral genomes from Arctic Alaska, generated the first CDV genomes from the Arctic (and the first from Yellowstone), and combined them with every published CDV genome we could find across 32 host species. What we found surprised us. 120 2
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026For decades, canine distemper virus (CDV)—a close relative of measles that infects carnivores and other mammals worldwide—has been thought to be maintained by domestic dogs. But the potential role of wildlife in long-term maintenance of the virus has not been fully explored. 130 3
Nicole Nova @nicole-nova.bsky.social · 23/07/2026A fundamental question in disease ecology remains unresolved: How can an acute, immunizing virus persist in nature? Theory says viruses like measles need huge pools of susceptible hosts. Our new preprint offers an answer. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...biorxiv.orgPersistent, Multi-Species Outbreaks and Long-Range Transmissions of a Measles-Like VirusCanine distemper\---|a measles-like disease with high mortality and presently without a cure\---|poses a major threat to wild and domestic carnivores globally. Domestic dogs are generally considered t... 12114 21
