Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Borna disease virus infection found in Australian cats
By Kamhieh, Sundrela et al.·Published in APMIS. Supplementum·2008·University of Sydney, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Borna disease virus: evidence of naturally-occurring infection in cats in Australia.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that a small number of cats in Australia tested positive for Borna disease virus (BDV), which can cause serious illness. Out of many cats tested, about 2.4% showed signs of BDV infection, particularly in New South Wales. One cat that was also infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) had confirmed BDV antibodies. While the overall rate of infection is low, this suggests that BDV may be present in some cats in Australia.
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Abstract
In Europe, Borna disease virus (BDV) infection has been linked with staggering disease. The aim of this study was serological investigation for BDV infection in Australian cats. De-identified sera were obtained from domestic cats presented at various veterinary clinics. BDV antigen levels were measured by a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA. Antibody to BDV measured semiquantitatively by ELISA was detected in 0.8% of cats from South Australia and 3.2% of animals from NSW Confirmatory assays for ELISA positive samples included Western blot and immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with BDV-specific staining. Seven BDV-antigen positive sera (2.4%) were identified in sera from cats from New South Wales (NSW). In blinded testing, amongst a large number of negative results, repeat submissions over a seven-month period from a cat co-infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) were BDV-antigen positive. Anti-BDV antibody detected in this cat by ELISA was confirmed by Western blot (p24/ p40/p56) and IFA. For 4 other anti-BDV ELISA-positive samples, specific reactions with BDV proteins were observed by Western blot. Ten other anti-BDV ELISA-positive samples were IFA positive. These data provide consistent serological evidence that, while horses in Australia are free of BDV infection, there may be a low rate of BDV infection in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18771098/