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Open Access 01-10-2019 | Encephalitis | Original Paper

The neuropathology of fatal encephalomyelitis in human Borna virus infection

Authors: Friederike Liesche, Viktoria Ruf, Saida Zoubaa, Gwendolyn Kaletka, Marco Rosati, Dennis Rubbenstroth, Christiane Herden, Lutz Goehring, Silke Wunderlich, Miguel Frederic Wachter, Georg Rieder, Ines Lichtmannegger, Willibald Permanetter, Josef G. Heckmann, Klemens Angstwurm, Bernhard Neumann, Bruno Märkl, Stefan Haschka, Hans-Helmut Niller, Barbara Schmidt, Jonathan Jantsch, Christoph Brochhausen, Kore Schlottau, Arnt Ebinger, Bernhard Hemmer, Markus J. Riemenschneider, Jochen Herms, Martin Beer, Kaspar Matiasek, Jürgen Schlegel

Published in: Acta Neuropathologica | Issue 4/2019

Abstract

After many years of controversy, there is now recent and solid evidence that classical Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) can infect humans. On the basis of six brain autopsies, we provide the first systematic overview on BoDV-1 tissue distribution and the lesion pattern in fatal BoDV-1-induced encephalitis. All brains revealed a non-purulent, lymphocytic sclerosing panencephalomyelitis with detection of BoDV-1-typical eosinophilic, spherical intranuclear Joest–Degen inclusion bodies. While the composition of histopathological changes was constant, the inflammatory distribution pattern varied interindividually, affecting predominantly the basal nuclei in two patients, hippocampus in one patient, whereas two patients showed a more diffuse distribution. By immunohistochemistry and RNA in situ hybridization, BoDV-1 was detected in all examined brain tissue samples. Furthermore, infection of the peripheral nervous system was observed. This study aims at raising awareness to human bornavirus encephalitis as differential diagnosis in lymphocytic sclerosing panencephalomyelitis. A higher attention to human BoDV-1 infection by health professionals may likely increase the detection of more cases and foster a clearer picture of the disease.

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Title: The neuropathology of fatal encephalomyelitis in human Borna virus infection
Authors: Friederike Liesche
Viktoria Ruf
Saida Zoubaa
Gwendolyn Kaletka
Marco Rosati
Dennis Rubbenstroth
Christiane Herden
Lutz Goehring
Silke Wunderlich
Miguel Frederic Wachter
Georg Rieder
Ines Lichtmannegger
Willibald Permanetter
Josef G. Heckmann
Klemens Angstwurm
Bernhard Neumann
Bruno Märkl
Stefan Haschka
Hans-Helmut Niller
Barbara Schmidt
Jonathan Jantsch
Christoph Brochhausen
Kore Schlottau
Arnt Ebinger
Bernhard Hemmer
Markus J. Riemenschneider
Jochen Herms
Martin Beer
Kaspar Matiasek
Jürgen Schlegel
Publication date: 01-10-2019
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keyword: Encephalitis
Published in: Acta Neuropathologica / Issue 4/2019
Print ISSN: 0001-6322
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0533
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-019-02047-3

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

The neuropathology of fatal encephalomyelitis in human Borna virus infection

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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