title: No borna disease virus-specific RNA detected in blood of race horses and jockeys.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Borna disease virus (BDV) predominantly infects horses and sheep, causing a broad range of behavioural disorders. It is controversial whether BDV infects humans and causes psychiatric disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We searched for BDV-derived nucleic acids in blood of race horses and jockeys riding the horses.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assayed for the BDV genome in RNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 39 race horses and 48 jockeys. Two polymerase chain reaction protocols [one-tube reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and two-step RT-PCR] were used to assay BDV p24 and p40 transcripts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The p24 and p40 viral nucleic acid sequences were not detected in the PBMC RNAs from any of the race horses or jockeys.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data do not support an epidemiological association between BDV infection, race horses and humans.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Ku
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Microbiology and Institute for Viral Diseases, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Bo
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Su
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Microbiology and Institute for Viral Diseases, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ju-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Do-Kyung
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Microbiology and Institute for Viral Diseases, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ki-Joon
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: 4Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dai-Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 5Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of sciences, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubera
authors.affiliation: 6MCare4U Outpatient Clinics, Lier, Belgium.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Microbiology and Institute for Viral Diseases, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Song