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Transboundary and emerging diseases2020; doi: 10.1111/tbed.13556

Borna disease outbreak with high mortality in an alpaca herd in a previously unreported endemic area in Germany.

Abstract: Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) is the causative agent of Borna disease, an often fatal neurologic condition of domestic mammals, including New World camelids, in endemic areas in Central Europe. Recently, BoDV-1 gained further attention by the confirmation of fatal zoonotic infections in humans. Although Borna disease and BoDV-1 have been described already over the past decades, comprehensive reports of Borna disease outbreaks in domestic animals employing state-of-the-art diagnostic methods are missing. Here, we report a series of BoDV-1 infections in a herd of 27 alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany, which resulted in eleven fatalities (41%) within ten months. Clinical courses ranged from sudden death without previous clinical signs to acute or chronic neurologic disease with death occurring after up to six months. All animals that underwent necropsy exhibited a non-suppurative encephalitis. In addition, six apparently healthy seropositive individuals were identified within the herd, suggesting subclinical BoDV-1 infections. In infected animals, BoDV-1 RNA and antigen were mainly restricted to the central nervous system and the eye, and sporadically detectable in large peripheral nerves and neuronal structures in other tissues. Pest control measures on the farm resulted in the collection of a BoDV-1-positive bicoloured white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon), while all other trapped small mammals were negative. A phylogeographic analysis of BoDV-1 sequences from the alpacas, the shrew and BoDV-1-positive equine cases from the same region in Brandenburg revealed a previously unreported endemic area of BoDV-1 cluster 4 in North-Western Brandenburg. In conclusion, alpacas appear to be highly susceptible to BoDV-1 infection and display a highly variable clinical picture ranging from peracute death to subclinical forms. In addition to horses and sheep, they can serve as sensitive sentinels used for the identification of endemic areas.
© 2020 The Authors. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
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Publication Date: 2020-03-29 PubMed ID: 32223069DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13556Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research focuses on an outbreak of Borna disease, caused by Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), among an alpaca herd in an area of Germany previously unrecognized as an endemic zone. Over ten months, this disease led to a high mortality rate, with 41% of the herd dying, while also revealing variable clinical manifestations in the animals.

Research Goals and Scope

  • The study intended to document and analyze a series of BoDV-1 infections in an alpaca herd in Brandenburg, Germany, where Borna disease outbreaks had not been previously reported.
  • The research aimed to identify the agent of the disease, study the progression of the disease, and understand its clinical manifestations.
  • Another goal was to identify the carrier of the disease and establish the phylogeography of the BoDV-1 virus within the region.

Borna Disease Outbreak in Alpacas

  • Over ten months, 27 alpacas were infected with BoDV-1, leading to eleven fatalities, which corresponds to a fatality rate of 41% within the herd.
  • The clinical manifestations of the disease varied among the alpacas. While some died without any active disease symptoms, others showed acute or chronic neurologic disease symptoms and died after up to six months.
  • Non-suppurative encephalitis was found in all animals that underwent necropsy.
  • While most infected animals either died or exhibited symptoms, six seropositive alpacas did not show any symptoms, indicating subclinical BoDV-1 infections.

Identification of BoDV-1 and Its Carrier

  • In the infected animals, BoDV-1 RNA and antigen were primarily found in the central nervous system and the eye and were sporadically detectable in large peripheral nerves and neuronal structures in other tissues.
  • Pest control measures led to the discovery of BoDV-1 in a bicolor white-toothed shrew, indicating that the shrew can be a possible carrier of the virus.

Phylogeographic Analysis

  • The researchers performed a phylogeographic analysis of BoDV-1 sequences from the alpacas and the shrew, along with BoDV-1-positive equine cases from the same region in Brandenburg.
  • This analysis revealed a previously unreported endemic area of BoDV-1 cluster 4 in North-Western Brandenburg.

Conclusion

  • The study found that alpacas can be highly susceptible to BoDV-1 infection, with clinical manifestations ranging from acute death to subclinical forms of the disease.
  • It concluded that in addition to other animals such as horses and sheep, alpacas could be used as sensitive sentinels to identify endemic zones for BoDV-1.

Cite This Article

APA
Schulze V, Große R, Fürstenau J, Forth LF, Ebinger A, Richter MT, Tappe D, Mertsch T, Klose K, Schlottau K, Hoffmann B, Höper D, Mundhenk L, Ulrich RG, Beer M, Müller KE, Rubbenstroth D. (2020). Borna disease outbreak with high mortality in an alpaca herd in a previously unreported endemic area in Germany. Transbound Emerg Dis. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13556

Publication

Transboundary and emerging diseases
ISSN: 1865-1682
NlmUniqueID: 101319538
Country: Germany
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Schulze, Vanessa
  • Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Große, Reinhard
  • Clinic for Ruminants and Swine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Fürstenau, Jenny
  • Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Forth, Leonie F
  • Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Ebinger, Arnt
  • Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Richter, Madita T
  • Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Tappe, Dennis
  • Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Mertsch, Tanja
  • Veterinary practice Mertsch, Kyritz, Germany.
Klose, Kristin
  • Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
Schlottau, Kore
  • Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Hoffmann, Bernd
  • Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Höper, Dirk
  • Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Mundhenk, Lars
  • Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Ulrich, Rainer G
  • Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Beer, Martin
  • Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Müller, Kerstin-Elisabeth
  • Clinic for Ruminants and Swine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Rubbenstroth, Dennis
  • Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.

Grant Funding

  • ZooBoCo, grant no. 01KI1722A / Bundesministerium fu00fcr Bildung und Forschung

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