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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Dog with fatal brain inflammation caused by Borna disease virus

By Weissenböck, H et al.·Published in Journal of clinical microbiology·1998·Institute of Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Borna disease in a dog with lethal meningoencephalitis.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A dog was euthanized due to worsening neurological symptoms, which included issues like confusion and difficulty moving. Tests on the brain tissue revealed the presence of Borna disease virus, a rare viral infection that can cause severe inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. This case is significant as it marks the first documented instance of Borna disease in a dog. Unfortunately, the dog did not recover, and the condition was ultimately fatal.

People also search for: dog neurological symptoms · Borna disease in dogs · dog brain infection treatment

Abstract

A dog was euthanatized because of progressive neurological signs. Histologically, a nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis was found. By immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and nested PCR procedures, Borna disease virus (BDV) antigen and BDV-specific RNA were demonstrated in brain tissues of the dog. The nucleotide sequence of the PCR product showed 94 to 98% homology to published BDV sequences. This is the first description of Borna disease in a dog.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9650982/