Borna virus encephalitis

Definition

A rare infectious disease characterized by severe non-purulent meningoencephalitis caused by Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1). Patients present with fever, headache, malaise, and fatigue, followed after a few days by nausea, confusion and disorientation, and psychomotor slowing. Ataxia, aphasia, dyspnea, multifocal myoclonic jerks, and paraplegia have been described. The condition is very often fatal after progress to lethargy, deteriorating brain stem reflexes, and coma. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid reveals moderate lympho-monocytic pleocytosis and presence of BoDV-1 RNA.