Cetacean morbillivirus, a journey from land to sea and vice versa

Cetacean Morbillivirus , the most relevant pathogen impacting the health and conservation of cetaceans worldwide, has shown in recent years an increased tendency to cross “interspecies barriers”, thereby giving rise to disease and mortality outbreaks in free-ranging dolphins and whales. The present “Opinion Article” deals with the evolutionary “trajectories” of this viral pathogen, likely originating from Rinderpest Virus , along with its "journey" from land to sea (and vice versa ), mimicking that of cetaceans' terrestrial ancestors.