A Study of the Relationship Between Canine Distemper and Measles in the Dog.

Dogs inoculated with live measles virus readily developed neutralizing and complement-fixing antibodies to measles. The dogs showed no signs of illness and did not spread the infection to unit contact litter mates. Following measles inoculation, 7 of 11 dogs developed low titers of canine distemper neutralizing antibody. All measles-inoculated dogs, including those with no demonstrable canine distemper neutralizing antibody, were protected against intravenous or intracerebral challenge with virulent canine distemper virus, while the contact controls, not receiving measles virus, became ill, and some died. The dogs which had received distemper virus alone developed distemper neutralizing antibody, but developed no measles neutralizing antibody.