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Canine distemper virus (CDV) An rna virus of the genus morbillivirus, a member of the family paramyxoviridae, that causes canine distemper.

Synonym: dog distemper virus.

The canine distemper virus (CDV) is closely related to human measles virus and bovine rinderpest virus. The disease cause by CDV has been known for centuries and throughout the world still remains one of the important contagious diseases of dogs as well as other carnivores, including old world large felids.

CDV has an envelope composed of a membrane protein termed M and two glycoproteins termed H (hemagglutinin, the attachment protein of CDV) and f (fusion protein), and the last two proteins are major tarjet antigens for the host immune system.