Prevalence of canine distemper antibodies in the pagetic population

Recent molecular evidence has implicated canine distemper virus (CDV) as a possible aetiologic agent in Paget's disease. However, previous serological studies have shown no differences in levels of anti‐CDV antibodies between Paget's patients and controls. In this study, the technique of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure anti‐CDV antibodies in a group of Paget's patients from the North West of England. Some patients were undergoing treatment with 3‐amino‐hydroxypropylidene (APD), and the pre‐treatment levels of antibody were compared with those following treatment. With several patients, it was also possible to compare the antibody levels with results from in situ hybridisation studies. No significant difference was found between the levels of anti‐CDV antibodies in patients and controls. However, several patients and some of the controls did have markedly elevated levels of anti‐CDV antibody. Antibody levels remained fairly constant following treatment with APD, except for two patients who showed marked changes. The patients positive for CDV by in situ hybridisation had significantly lower levels of anti‐CDV antibodies when compared with those that were negative by in situ hybridisation. These results suggest that if CDV does cause Paget's disease, anti‐CDV antibodies play little or no part in the disease pathogenesis. High levels of anti‐CDV antibodies in both Paget's patients and controls suggest that a canine virus can infect humans. The fact that those patients that had CDV transcripts detectable in their bone cells had low levels of anti‐CDV antibodies might suggest failure to clear the virus during an initial infection. This might then allow sequestration of CDV within bone cells and, thus, eventually lead to Paget's disease. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.