title: Borna disease virus (BDV) infection in psychiatric patients and healthy controls in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Borna disease virus (BDV) is an evolutionary old RNA virus, which infects brain and blood cells of humans, their primate ancestors, and other mammals. Human infection has been correlated to mood disorders and schizophrenia, but the impact of BDV on mental-health still remains controversial due to poor methodological and cross-national comparability.
  
  
  METHODS
  This first report from the Middle East aimed to determine BDV infection prevalence in Iranian acute psychiatric disorder patients and healthy controls through circulating immune complexes (CIC), antibodies (Ab) and antigen (pAg) in blood plasma using a standardized triple enzyme immune assay (EIA). Samples of 314 subjects (114 psychiatric cases, 69 blood donors, and 131 healthy controls) were assayed and data analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CICs revealed a BDV prevalence of one third (29.5%) in healthy Iranian controls (27.5% controls; 33.3% blood donors). In psychiatric patients CIC prevalence was higher than in controls (40.4%) and significantly correlating with bipolar patients exhibiting overt clinical symptoms (p = 0.005, OR = 1.65). CIC values were significantly elevated in bipolar (p = 0.001) and major depressive disorder (p = 0.029) patients as compared to controls, and in females compared to males (p = 0.031).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study supports a similarly high prevalence of subclinical human BDV infections in Iran as reported for central Europe, and provides again an indication for the correlation of BDV infection and mood disorders. Further studies should address the morbidity risk for healthy carriers and those with elevated CIC levels, along with gender disparities.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, P,O, Box 19615-1178, Tehran, Iran. 90670@studenti.unimore.it.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazaheri-Tehrani
authors.forename: Nader
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maghsoudi
authors.forename: Jamal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shams
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soori
authors.forename: Hasti
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Atashi
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Motamedi
authors.forename: Liv
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bode
authors.forename: Hanns
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ludwig
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001782:Blood Donors; D001890:Borna Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D001891:Borna disease virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult