New World camelids are sentinels for the presence of Borna disease virus

Borna disease (BD), a frequently fatal neurologic disorder caused by Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), has been observed for decades in horses, sheep, and other mammals in certain regions of Europe. The bicoloured white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon) was identified as a persistently infected species involved in virus transmission. Recently, BoDV-1 attracted attention as a cause of fatal encephalitis in humans. Here, we report investigations on BoDV-1-infected llamas from a farm in a BD endemic area of Switzerland, and alpacas from holdings in a region of Germany where BD was last seen in the 1960s but not thereafter. All New World camelids showed apathy and abnormal behaviour, necessitating euthanasia. Histologically, severe non-suppurative meningoencephalitis with neuronal Joest-Degen inclusion bodies was observed. BoDV-1 was confirmed by immunohistology, RT-qPCR, and sequencing in selected animals. Analysis of the llama herd over 20 years showed that losses due to clinically suspected BD increased within the last decade. BoDV-1 whole-genome sequences from one Swiss llama and one German alpaca and—for comparison—from one Swiss horse and one German shrew were established. They represent the first published whole-genome sequences of BoDV-1 clusters 1B and 3, respectively. Our analysis suggests that New World camelids may have a role as a sentinel species for BoDV-1 infection, even when symptomatic cases are lacking in other animal species.Peer Reviewe

26th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting (CNS*2017): Part 3 - Meeting Abstracts - Antwerp, Belgium. 15–20 July 2017

This work was produced as part of the activities of FAPESP Research,\ud Disseminations and Innovation Center for Neuromathematics (grant\ud 2013/07699-0, S. Paulo Research Foundation). NLK is supported by a\ud FAPESP postdoctoral fellowship (grant 2016/03855-5). ACR is partially\ud supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant 306251/2014-0)

Panel discussion: Two ambassadors on European Union enlargement

This is the archive of a panel discussion given by Eva Nowotny, Ambassador of Austria to the United States; Martin Palouš, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States. Listen to this lecture, which originally aired on WBUR's World of Ideas, at http://www.bu.edu/european/2009/07/05/two-ambassadors-on-european-union-enlargement>

New World camelids are sentinels for the presence of Borna disease virus

Borna disease (BD), a frequently fatal neurologic disorder caused by Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), has been observed for decades in horses, sheep, and other mammals in certain regions of Europe. The bicoloured white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon) was identified as a persistently infected species involved in virus transmission. Recently, BoDV-1 attracted attention as a cause of fatal encephalitis in humans. Here, we report investigations on BoDV-1-infected llamas from a farm in a BD endemic area of Switzerland, and alpacas from holdings in a region of Germany where BD was last seen in the 1960s but not thereafter. All New World camelids showed apathy and abnormal behaviour, necessitating euthanasia. Histologically, severe non-suppurative meningoencephalitis with neuronal Joest-Degen inclusion bodies was observed. BoDV-1 was confirmed by immunohistology, RT-qPCR, and sequencing in selected animals. Analysis of the llama herd over 20 years showed that losses due to clinically suspected BD increased within the last decade. BoDV-1 whole-genome sequences from one Swiss llama and one German alpaca and-for comparison-from one Swiss horse and one German shrew were established. They represent the first published whole-genome sequences of BoDV-1 clusters 1B and 3, respectively. Our analysis suggests that New World camelids may have a role as a sentinel species for BoDV-1 infection, even when symptomatic cases are lacking in other animal species

<b>Supplements for the manuscript: Women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia have favorable pregnancy outcomes but prolonged time to conceive irrespective of phenotype</b>

This study examined pregnancy outcomes in women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) from a retrospective multicenter perspective, including participants from tertiary reference centers in Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the USA. It involved 72 adult women categorized into non-classic (NC, n=34), simple virilizing (SV, n=21), and salt-wasting (SW, n=17) phenotypes. The study documented 133 pregnancies, resulting in 112 live births and 25 abortions. Findings highlighted a prolonged latency to pregnancy, particularly in the SV group, and a relatively high use of fertility-enhancing medications or assisted reproductive technologies. Despite these challenges, the fertility rates of women with CAH matched those of the general population, and abortion rates did not increase. The average number of children per woman was similar across all CAH phenotypes. The study also reported high rates of cesarean sections but low complications during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. Overall, the pregnancy outcomes for women with CAH were favorable, suggesting effective management and adaptation despite the condition</p