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Wild birds as a possible natural reservoir of Borna disease virus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 August 2001

M. BERG
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Section of Immunology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
M. JOHANSSON
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
H. MONTELL
Affiliation:
Uppsala Graduate School in Biomedical Research (UGSBR), Sweden
A.-L. BERG
Affiliation:
AstraZeneca, R&D Södertälje, Safety Assessment, Södertälje, Sweden
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Abstract

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The natural reservoir of Borna disease virus (BDV) is unknown. In this paper, we show that mallards (Anas platyrhyncos) and jackdaws (Corvus monedula) can be subclinically infected carriers of this virus. From faecal samples collected at a bird pond, we were able to amplify fragments of the BDV p24 and p40 genes. Following cloning and sequencing, a phylogenetic analysis revealed that these birds carry strains of BDV closely related to but distinct from the reference strains BDV V and He/80. To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed finding of BDV in wild birds.

Type
Short Paper
Copyright
2001 Cambridge University Press