Background Borna disease virus (BDV) is an evolutionary old RNA virus, which
infects brain and blood cells of humans, their primate ancestors, and other
mammals. Human infection has been correlated to mood disorders and
schizophrenia, but the impact of BDV on mental-health still remains
controversial due to poor methodological and cross-national comparability.
Method This first report from the Middle East aimed to determine BDV infection
prevalence in Iranian acute psychiatric disorder patients and healthy controls
through circulating immune complexes (CIC), antibodies (Ab) and antigen (pAg)
in blood plasma using a standardized triple enzyme immune assay (EIA). Samples
of 314 subjects (114 psychiatric cases, 69 blood donors, and 131 healthy
controls) were assayed and data analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.
Results CICs revealed a BDV prevalence of one third (29.5%) in healthy Iranian
controls (27.5% controls; 33.3% blood donors). In psychiatric patients CIC
prevalence was higher than in controls (40.4%) and significantly correlating
with bipolar patients exhibiting overt clinical symptoms (p = 0.005, OR =
1.65). CIC values were significantly elevated in bipolar (p = 0.001) and major
depressive disorder (p = 0.029) patients as compared to controls, and in
females compared to males (p = 0.031). Conclusion This study supports a
similarly high prevalence of subclinical human BDV infections in Iran as
reported for central Europe, and provides again an indication for the
correlation of BDV infection and mood disorders. Further studies should
address the morbidity risk for healthy carriers and those with elevated CIC
levels, along with gender disparities