Detection of canine distemper viral antigen in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue of a fitch (Mustela putorius), using an immunoperoxidase technique.

The present study describes how a naturally infected fitch (Mustela putorius) caused an outbreak of canine distemper in a colony of insufficiently vaccinated dogs. The detection of canine distemper virus (CDV) on paraffin sections of different organs of the fitch and one of the dead dogs was achieved using a monoclonal antibody against the nucleocapsid protein (NP) of CDV and the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) technique.