Borna disease (BD), a frequently fatal neurologic disorder caused by Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), has been observed for decades in horses, sheep, and other mammals in certain regions of Europe. The bicoloured white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon) was identified as a persistently infected species involved in virus transmission. Recently, BoDV-1 attracted attention as a cause of fatal encephalitis in humans. Here, we report investigations on BoDV-1-infected llamas from a farm in a BD endemic area of Switzerland, and alpacas from holdings in a region of Germany where BD was last seen in the 1960s but not thereafter. All New World camelids showed apathy and abnormal behaviour, necessitating euthanasia. Histologically, severe non-suppurative meningoencephalitis with neuronal Joest-Degen inclusion bodies was observed. BoDV-1 was confirmed by immunohistology, RT-qPCR, and sequencing in selected animals. Analysis of the llama herd over 20 years showed that losses due to clinically suspected BD increased within the last decade. BoDV-1 whole-genome sequences from one Swiss llama and one German alpaca and-for comparison-from one Swiss horse and one German shrew were established. They represent the first published whole-genome sequences of BoDV-1 clusters 1B and 3, respectively. Our analysis suggests that New World camelids may have a role as a sentinel species for BoDV-1 infection, even when symptomatic cases are lacking in other animal species.
Rat bite fever is an under-reported, under-diagnosed emerging zoonosis with worldwide distribution. Besides Spirillum minus, Streptobacillus moniliformis is the major causative microorganism although it usually colonises rats without any clinical signs. A group of house rats (Rattus rattus) kept in a zoo exhibition for educational purposes suffered from neurological signs including disorientation, torticollis, stall walking, ataxia and death. Gross pathological and histo-pathological examinations of the investigated rats revealed high-grade otitis interna et media, from which Streptobacillus notomytis was isolated in pure culture or as the predominant microorganism. This case series underlines a previously expressed hypothesis that R. rattus might be naturally colonised with S. notomytis, whereas the traditional rat bite fever organism, S. moniliformis, might be restricted to the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). However, the general paucity of Streptobacillus isolates, especially from their respective animal hosts, precludes definitive proof of these host tropisms. This is the first report of S. notomytis detection outside Asia and Australia and the first evidence for its role as a facultative pathogen in house rats.
sind direkt an die SchrIftleitung zu richten; grundsätzlich werden nur solche Arbeiten angenommen, die vorher weder Im Inland noch im Ausland veröffentlicht worden sind, selbst wenn ea sich dabei nur um einen Kurzbericht gehandelt hat. Die Manuakripte dürfen auch nicht gleichzeitig anderen Blättern zum Abdruck angeboten werden. -Mit der Annahme dea Manuskriptes erwirbt der Verlag das ausschließliche Recht der Vervielfältigung, Verbreitung und Ubersetzung der in dieser Zeitachrift zum Abdruck gelangten Beiträge. Der Verlag erwirbt weiter das Recht der Verwendung des Manuskriptes für fremdsprachige Ausgaben. Kein Teil dieser Zeitschrift darf in irgendeiner Form, auch nicht durch Fotokopie, Mikrofilm oder irgendein anderes Verfahren ohne schriftliche Genehmigung des Verlages reproduziert werden; jedoch wird gewerblichen Unternehmen die Anfertigung einer fotomechaniachen Vervielfältigung (Fotokopie, Mikrokople) für den innerbetrieblichen Gebrauch nach Maßgabe des zwischen dem Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels und dem Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie abgeschlossenen Rahmenabkommens gestattet.
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