Publikationsdatenbank

Spillover infections by rustrela virus, borna disease virus 1 and tick-borne encephalitis virus revealed by retrospective screening of mammalian encephalitis of unknown origin (2025)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Voss, Anne (WE 12)

Günther, Anne

Geit, Olga

Puget, Chloé (WE 12)

Pauly, Andreas

Stiasny, Karin

Schlottau, Kore

Beer, Martin

Gruber, Achim D. (WE 12)

Breithaupt, Angele

Rubbenstroth, Dennis

Mundhenk, Lars (WE 12)

Quelle

BMC veterinary research

Bandzählung: 21

Seiten: 671

ISSN: 1746-6148

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12917-025-05132-w

DOI: 10.1186/s12917-025-05132-w

Pubmed: 41241728

Kontakt

Institut für Tierpathologie

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

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Background: Cross-species transmission of several viral neuropathogens may lead to fatal disease in incidental hosts. The newly discovered rustrela virus (RusV) as well as Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) of hemagglutinin subtype H5 may cause fatal lymphocytic meningoencephalitis in a broad range of mammalian species after crossing species borders. Here, we tested brain tissue samples from 191 animals representing 19 mammalian species diagnosed with lymphocytic meningoencephalitis from 1989 to 2024 for these four neuropathogens by RT-qPCR. Positive samples were analysed for cell-associated viral RNA or viral antigen by RNA in situ hybridisation or immunohistochemistry, respectively.

Results: For the first time RusV was detected in one out of two tested maned wolves (50%). Further, two out of 50 cats (4.0%) and the only tested donkey were infected. BoDV-1 and TBEV were found in three out of eight horses (37.5%) and one out of 78 dogs (1.3%), respectively. Neurons were the main target cells for all three pathogens. Partial genomic RusV and BoDV-1 sequences matched with the predominant virus types in the study region. Influenza A virus RNA was not detected in any of the samples.

Conclusions: The host range of RusV was extended to Canidae, represented by a fatal case of a maned wolf. Both RusV and BoDV-1 seem to be important pathogens causing lymphocytic meningoencephalitis in other mammalian species and their distribution should be monitored closely.

Keywords: BoDV-1; HPAIV H5; Influenza a virus (IAV); Meningoencephalitis; RusV; TBEV.