Publikationsdatenbank

Mystery of fatal 'staggering disease' unravelled:
novel rustrela virus causes severe meningoencephalomyelitis in domestic cats (2023)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Matiasek, Kaspar

Pfaff, Florian

Weissenböck, Herbert

Wylezich, Claudia

Kolodziejek, Jolanta

Tengstrand, Sofia

Ecke, Frauke

Nippert, Sina

Starcky, Philip

Litz, Benedikt

Nessler, Jasmin

Wohlsein, Peter

Baumbach, Christina

Mundhenk, Lars (WE 12)

Aebischer, Andrea

Reiche, Sven

Weidinger, Pia

Olofsson, Karin M.

Rohdin, Cecilia

Weissenbacher-Lang, Christiane

Matt, Julia

Rosati, Marco

Flegel, Thomas

Hörnfeldt, Birger

Höper, Dirk

Ulrich, Rainer G.

Nowotny, Norbert

Beer, Martin

Ley, Cecilia

Rubbenstroth, Dennis

Quelle

Nature Communications

Bandzählung: 14

Heftzählung: 1

Seiten: Article number: 624

ISSN: 2041-1723

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36204-w

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36204-w

Pubmed: 36739288

Kontakt

Institut für Tierpathologie

Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 15
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62450
pathologie@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

'Staggering disease' is a neurological disease entity considered a threat to European domestic cats (Felis catus) for almost five decades. However, its aetiology has remained obscure. Rustrela virus (RusV), a relative of rubella virus, has recently been shown to be associated with encephalitis in a broad range of mammalian hosts. Here, we report the detection of RusV RNA and antigen by metagenomic sequencing, RT-qPCR, in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in brain tissues of 27 out of 29 cats with non-suppurative meningoencephalomyelitis and clinical signs compatible with'staggering disease' from Sweden, Austria, and Germany, but not in non-affected control cats. Screening of possible reservoir hosts in Sweden revealed RusV infection in wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). Our work indicates that RusV is the long-sought cause of feline 'staggering disease'. Given its reported broad host spectrum and considerable geographic range, RusV may be the aetiological agent of neuropathologies in further mammals, possibly even including humans.