Higher prevalence of Borna disease virus infection in blood donors living near thoroughbred horse farms.
Abstract: It is believed that Borna disease virus (BDV), an etiological agent of progressive polioencephalomyelitis in horses and sheep, is closely associated with psychiatric disorders in humans since the prevalence of BDV is higher in psychiatric patients than in blood donors. We investigated whether or not BDVs in humans are derived from infected domestic animals, by characterizing the BDVs in blood donors and horses derived from the same region of Hokkaido island, Japan. The seroprevalences (2.6 to 14.8%) of BDV were significantly higher in the blood donors from four regions where most horse farms are concentrated, compared with only 1% in the blood donors from Sapporo, the largest city in Hokkaido.BDV RNA was also detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from most of the seropositive horses and blood donors by nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. These findings support that BDV may be horizontally transmitted, at least in part, from infected horses to humans.
Publication Date: 1997-07-01 PubMed ID: 9210045
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
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 pursued the possibility of Borna disease virus (BDV), responsible for neurological disorders in horses and sheep, being transmitted from horses to humans, given its higher prevalence in people with psychiatric disorders. The study, conducted in Hokkaido Island, Japan, displayed that humans residing close to horse farms displayed a higher presence of BDV as opposed to those in the urban area.
Investigating Transmission of BDV from Animals to Humans
- The researchers undertook this study to explore whether Borna disease virus (BDV), a disease-causing agent of progressive polioencephalomyelitis in animals like horses and sheep, could be potentially transmitted to humans.
- They performed this investigation because prior research suggested a striking correlation between BDV infection and psychiatric disorders in humans. BDV prevalence was found to be notably higher among psychiatric patients compared to blood donors, triggering a hypothesis that there might be a pathway of transmission from animals to humans.
Comparative Analysis of BDV Prevalence in Human Population
- To test their hypothesis, the researchers conducted a comparative study between populations. They looked at the distribution of BDV in blood donors and horses from the same region on the Hokkaido islands in Japan.
- They found significant differences in BDV prevalence between various groups. In the regions with a high concentration of horse farms, the BDV prevalence in human blood donors ranged from 2.6% to 14.8%, significantly higher compared to the blood donors from Sapporo, the largest city on the island, where only 1% prevalence was observed.
Tracing BDV Infection in Blood Donors and Horses
- Examination of both horses and human blood samples showcased the presence of BDV RNA (Ribonucleic Acid), a type of nucleic acid essential to various biological roles, including coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes. RNA’s presence often suggests the existence of the disease.
- BDV RNA was identified in most of the seropositive horses and blood donors using a method named nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. This substantiates the notion that infected horses could be a source of BDV transmission to humans.
Implication of the Findings
- These results indicating the prevalence of BDV among the human population in proximity to horse farms underlines that BDV could potentially be transmitted from infected animals to humans, a process known as zoonotic transmission.
- While the evidence is intriguing, more research is necessary to ascertain the full panorama of BDV transmission and its potential link to psychiatric disorders in humans.
Cite This Article
APA
Takahashi H, Nakaya T, Nakamura Y, Asahi S, Onishi Y, Ikebuchi K, Takahashi TA, Katoh T, Sekiguchi S, Takazawa M, Tanaka H, Ikuta K.
(1997).
Higher prevalence of Borna disease virus infection in blood donors living near thoroughbred horse farms.
J Med Virol, 52(3), 330-335.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Section of Serology, Institute of Immunological Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Domestic
- Antibodies, Viral / blood
- Base Sequence
- Blood Donors
- Borna Disease / blood
- Borna Disease / epidemiology
- Borna Disease / immunology
- Borna Disease / virology
- Cell Line
- DNA, Viral
- Dogs
- Female
- Horses
- Male
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Prevalence
- Viral Proteins / immunology
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- van der Kolk JH. The equine species as Trojan horse for Borna Disease Virus-1?. Vet Q 2018 Dec;38(1):126-128.
- Mazaheri-Tehrani E, Maghsoudi N, Shams J, Soori H, Atashi H, Motamedi F, Bode L, Ludwig H. Borna disease virus (BDV) infection in psychiatric patients and healthy controls in Iran. Virol J 2014 Sep 3;11:161.
- Song JW, Na KS, Tae SH, Kim YK. Borna disease virus antibody and RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of race horses and jockeys in Korea. Psychiatry Investig 2011 Mar;8(1):58-60.
- Rackova S, Janu L, Kabickova H. Borna disease virus (BDV) circulating immunocomplex positivity in addicted patients in the Czech Republic: a prospective cohort analysis. BMC Psychiatry 2010 Sep 8;10:70.
- Na KS, Tae SH, Song JW, Kim YK. Failure to detect borna disease virus antibody and RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of psychiatric patients. Psychiatry Investig 2009 Dec;6(4):306-12.
- Gunn-Moore D. Infectious diseases of the central nervous system. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2005 Jan;35(1):103-28, vi.
- Hornig M, Briese T, Lipkin WI. Borna disease virus. J Neurovirol 2003 Apr;9(2):259-73.
- Carbone KM. Borna disease virus and human disease. Clin Microbiol Rev 2001 Jul;14(3):513-27.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
