Between 1991 and 1996, necropsies were performed on 445 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), in various states of preservation, stranded on German coasts or accidentally caught by German fishermen. The animals originated from the North and Baltic Seas, and 133 were considered suitable for histopathological, immunohistochemical and microbiological examination. Most of the lesions in these 133 porpoises were caused by parasites, in particular in the respiratory tract, two-thirds of the animals exhibiting pneumonia associated with the parasites. Pneumonia was considered to be the cause of death in 46% of the stranded subadult and adult animals. The findings gave no evidence of any epidemic due to bacterial or viral infection. Bacteriological examination suggested that pneumonia was mainly caused by secondary bacterial infection and not by parasitic infestation alone. Beta-haemolytic streptococci were considered to be the main infectious agents. Morbillivirus antigen was not detected immunohistochemically.

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Borna disease virus infection in animals and humans.

The geographic distribution and host range of Borna disease (BD), a fatal neurologic disease of horses and sheep, are larger than previously thought. The etiologic agent, Borna disease virus (BDV), has been identified as an enveloped nonsegmented negative-strand RNA virus with unique properties of replication. Data indicate a high degree of genetic stability of BDV in its natural host, the horse. Studies in the Lewis rat have shown that BDV replication does not directly influence vital functions; rather, the disease is caused by a virus-induced T-cell mediated immune reaction. Because antibodies reactive with BDV have been found in the sera of patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, this review examines the possible link between BDV and such disorders. Seroepidemiologic and cerebrospinal fluid investigations of psychiatric patients suggest a causal role of BDV infection in human psychiatric disorders. In diagnostically unselected psychiatric patients, the distribution of psychiatric disorders was found to be similar in BDV seropositive and seronegative patients. In addition, BDV-seropositive neurologic patients became ill with lymphocytic meningoencephalitis. In contrast to others, we found no evidence is reported for BDV RNA, BDV antigens, or infectious B DV in peripheral blood cells of psychiatric patients.

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