Animal Virus May Cause Human Mental Illness

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Animal Virus May Cause Human Mental Illness

14-Jan-2002

A virus that infects animals but was thought to be relatively harmless to

humans might contribute to some cases of mental illness, according to

virologist Norbert Nowotny, of the University of Veterinary Sciences in

Vienna. The Borna disease virus, which causes a fatal brain disease in

animals, might be linked to schizophrenia, depression and chronic fatigue

syndrome in humans.

The virus infects the nervous system tissue in horses and sheep, and

triggers severe brain inflammation. The animals stop eating, become

depressed and in almost all cases progress to paralysis and death within 3

weeks. There is no effective treatment.

These types of severe reactions do not occur in humans who become infected,

Nowotny says. " In humans, only subtle changes are suspected, which may

interfere with neurotransmitter activities leading to psychiatric

disorders. "

There is a variety of evidence from several research groups to support his

theory. For example, antibodies to the virus have been found with higher

frequency in the blood of people with diseases such as panic disorder than

in those who don't have this condition. Nowotny has isolated the virus's

genetic material from a man with chronic fatigue syndrome.

But other researchers have questioned the validity of his results,

suggesting human samples may have been contaminated with virus from animals.

Scientists can only make an educated guess that the virus is transmitted

through the nasal passage, and it is not clear whether the virus passes from

animals to humans or if there is a specific human strain.

Also, the disease occurs only sporadically, usually in a small region in

central Europe. This suggests there is an animal reservoir, such as a type

of rodent, but so far none has been identified.

" Currently, there are many open questions, " Nowotny says. " If it is true,

then it would be the first time that there is a virus involved in human

psychological disease. If it is true that there is a human form of Borna

disease, then I would expect that it would be a human virus transmitted from

human to human. By learning more about how the virus is transmitted we can

take actions to prevent it from causing disease in humans and animals. "

Watch out for Fido and Fluffy.