title: [Transmission of Borna disease virus as etiopathogenetic factor in schizophrenia and affective disorders].
abstract: Borna Disease Virus (BDV) is a negative single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus, showing strong neurotropism. BDV may infect many different warm-blooded animal species, causing neurological and behavioral disorders. Seroepidemiological studies suggest the existence of human infections with BDV and their higher prevalence in psychiatric patients. Using different serological assays, anti-BDV antibodies were found in about 10%-20% of patients with schizophrenia, and in 1%-2% of the control group of healthy subjects. There are also reports on BDV antigens and BDV RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of human subjects, and in the brain tissue examined during the autopsy in patients with psychiatric disorders. Higher prevalence of BDV infection markers was also found in the group of patients with affective illness. A hypothesis was put forward on the activation of BDV-infection in patients with affective illness during acute episode. There are also reports on higher BDV-seropositivity in various psychiatric disorders compared with healthy control subjects. It also would be purposeful to study a possibility of BDV infections in patients with psychiatric disturbances, having their onset in childhood or adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Kliniki Psychiatrii Dzieci i Młodziezy AM w Poznaniu.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rybakowski
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001890:Borna Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral