Bornavirus bunnies can transmit deadly virus

Three hobby breeders died of a new bornavirus
A new Bornavirus, which is transmitted by Bunthörnchen, is responsible for the death of three breeders from Saxony-Anhalt. This is reported by the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), which, together with the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), has identified the dangerous pathogen in bunnies and detected it in animals as well as in patients who died from encephalitis. The researchers published their findings in the renowned journal "New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)"..

Bunnies transmit deadly virus. Image: (Image: fotoliaxrender / fotolia.com)

New Bornavirus is transferable to humans
The affected breeders are three men who were treated for brain inflammation in hospitals in Saxony-Anhalt from 2011 to 2013. Despite intensive care therapy, the patients died of the disease within a few months. However, it was unclear for a long time with which pathogen the infected ones had become infected. Only the metagenomic analysis of a bunny (Sciurus variegatoides) from the breeding of one of the patients provided information on the cause of death.

"Metagenome analysis, which analyzes the entire genome along with all microorganisms, identified a few sequence fragments of a hitherto unknown Bornavirus, whose existence has been confirmed by further molecular biological, histological and serological investigations," reports Dr. med. Bernd Hoffmann from the FLI.

"The new virus is genetically distinct from the known bornaviruses. The investigations have shown that members of the bornavirus family can also infect humans, "explains Dr. med. Dennis Tappe from BNITM.

The hitherto unknown virus was first detected in bunnies and later also in the brain samples of the three dead patients. Whether possible pre-existing conditions of the already elderly patients have favored the infection with the Bornavirus, is still unclear, so the FLI.

Live test for bornavirus for bunnies
With the FLI-developed live test using swab and blood samples, bunny squirrels can be examined for an infection. If the virus is detected, the affected animals should be killed, the Institute advises. In the spring, bunnies had already been killed for safety reasons. According to the FLI, however, there are no indications so far that other types of croissants are also affected. (Ag)