title: Sequence characterization of human Borna disease virus.
abstract: Borna disease virus (BDV) causes a central nervous system disease in several vertebrate animal species, which is manifest by behavioral abnormalities. Seroepidemiologic data suggest that BDV might infect humans, possibly being associated with certain mental disorders. This is further supported by the detection of both BDV-specific antigens and RNA sequences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of psychiatric patients. For the first time the sequence characterization of human BDV is documented here. BDV was recovered by co-cultivation techniques from the PBMCs of three hospitalized psychiatric patients. BDV was unequivocally identified based on sequence identification of BDV open reading frames (ORFs) p24, p16 and p56, as well as of the predicted catalytic domain of the BDV L polymerase. Each human BDV isolate had an unique sequence, but they displayed a high degree of sequence conservation with respect of BDV isolates from naturally infected animals of different species.
authors.affiliation: Viral-Immunology laboratory, Scripps Research Institute 92037 CA, USA. juanct@riscsm.scripps.edu
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de la Torre
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bode
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dürrwald
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cubitt
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ludwig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D001890:Borna Disease / Q000821:virology; D001891:Borna disease virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004279:DNA, Viral; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; C084757:p24 protein, Borna disease virus