Prevalens av subkliniskt smittade katter med vingelsjuka i Göteborg jämfört med Uppsala
Borna disease virus (BDV) is a virus with capability to cause neurological
disease in several species of mammals and of ostriches. Also humans are
suspected to be susceptible to the virus, as the viral RNA and antibodies against
BDV have been found in some humans with psychiatric diseases, like
schizophrenia and depression. In Sweden there is a disease called staggering
disease in cats, associated to BDV-infection. This disease often has a fatal
progress. Definite diagnosis is reached by histo-pathological and
immunohistochemical examination of the central nervous system. In these cats, a
nonsuppurative meningoencephalomyelitis is induced by the virus. The disease
gives rise to signs like ataxia of the hind limbs, changes in behavior, inability to
withdraw the claws, mostly in the hind limbs and to pain from the lumbosacral
spine. In Sweden, apart from cats there have also been reported Borna-infection in
horses and lynx. The way of infection is not clearly understood, but there are
theories that rodents and some birds may work as naturally reservoirs of BDV. In
Sweden there is evidence that staggering disease in cats occurs in the region of
Mälardalen. There is however no larger studies made for the rest of Sweden.
Blood samples were collected in Gothenburg and Uppsala to study the prevalence
of antibodies against BDV in healthy, outdoor cats that were more than one year
of age. Realtime-PCR and ELISA-studies were performed. More studies are
needed to make the diagnostics to work and to be able to study the prevalence of
BDV in cats outside the region of Mälardalen.