A new study of canine distemper virus (CDV) provides the first evidence that the virus occurs as specialist strains that emerge in response to strong evolutionary selection in the large global domestic dog population, and as generalist strains adapted to infect a broad range of carnivore species that occur as smaller host populations. The study not only unraveled one key mechanism which led to the evolution of specialist and generalist strains, it also showed that specializing on one host species comes at the cost of a reduced ability to infect other host species.
URL: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/plants_animals/dogs/~3/O-QGC0jHWc0/121211193120.htm
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