Regional 'hot spot' of Borna disease discovered in upper Austria
Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 12:22
in Health & Medicine
Bornaviruses cause a lethal form of encephalitis, Borna disease, among horses and sheep. To date only a few cases were reported in Austria. Recently, four horses were afflicted in the same area of Upper Austria within just two years. Tests on local shrews, the reservoir host, confirmed the suspicion of a local viral reservoir. The study documents a rare outbreak of Borna disease in a new endemic area in Austria.