Mystery of polar bear Knut's disease finally solved
Thursday, August 27, 2015 - 11:20
in Biology & Nature
Knut, the famous polar bear of the Berlin Zoological Garden died of encephalitis. However, the cause of his disease has remained elusive until now. Biologists have now solved the case: The bear suffered from an autoimmune disease called 'anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis'. Knut is the first wild or domestic animal in which this form of encephalitis has been demonstrated.