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Schizophrenia and Borna Disease Virus as a Zoonosis? |
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Borna disease
virus infection in animals |
Horses and sheep:
Borna disease was first described clinically in horses in the
19th century in Germany. Clinicopathologically, this is a meningoencephalomyelitis
that occurs in sheep and horses and is associated with profound
behavioral changes.
- The pathology of Borna disease is due to a T-cell immune-mediated
process.
- Borna disease virus has also been detected on a much more
limited basis in donkeys, cattle, rabbits, ostiches, a dog and
cats (see below), and, experimentally, the virus can infect non-human
primates.
Cats:
Recently, BDV was suggested as the etiology of "Staggering
Disease" in cats in Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe.
- Staggering Disease is a non-suppurative meningoencephalomyelitis
that manifests itself as profound depression, ataxia and ascending
paresis.
- Anti-BDV Ab have been demonstrated in the blood of cats with
staggering disease and BDV Ag and RNA have been demonstrated
in brain tissue and blood from these cats.
- The most recent evidence suggests that staggering disease
may actually be due to an ionophore toxin in cat foods. However,
even if BDV is not etiologically related to Staggering Disease,
the presence of BDV in cats raises zoonotic concerns.
Dogs:
Borna disease was diagnosed in a dog for the first time in
Austria in 1994, specifically within an area where BDV is endemic
in horses. Diagnosis was based upon the presence of:
- progressive neurologic signs
- immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and PCR evidence
of BDV in the dog's brain.
