title: Serological markers of Bornavirus infection found in horses in Iceland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In a stable of eight horses in Northern Iceland, six horses presented with clinical signs, such as ataxia and reduced appetite, leading to euthanasia of one severely affected horse. Serological investigations revealed no evidence of active equine herpes virus type 1 infection, a common source of central nervous system disease in horses, nor equine arteritis virus and West Nile virus. Another neurotropic virus, Borna disease virus, was therefore included in the differential diagnosis list.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serological investigations revealed antibodies against Borna disease virus in four of five horses with neurological signs in the affected stable. One horse without clinical signs was seronegative. Four clinically healthy horses in the stable that arrived and were sampled one year after the outbreak were found seronegative, whereas one of four investigated healthy horses in an unaffected stable was seropositive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report contains the first evidence of antibodies to Borna disease virus in Iceland. Whether Borna disease virus was the cause of the neurological signs could however not be confirmed by pathology or molecular detection of the virus. As Iceland has very restricted legislation regarding animal imports, the questions of how this virus has entered the country and to what extent markers of Bornavirus infection can be found in humans and animals in Iceland remain to be answered.
authors.forename: Sigríður
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Björnsdóttir
authors.forename: Elfa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Agustsdóttir
authors.forename: Anne-Lie
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Blomström
authors.forename: Inga-Lena Örde
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Oström
authors.forename: Louise Treiberg
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Berndtsson
authors.forename: Vilhjálmur
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Svansson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P,O, Box 7028, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Jonas.Wensman@slu.se.
authors.forename: Jonas Johansson
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wensman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D028981:Bornaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006736:Horses; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D018701:Mononegavirales Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral