Borna virus: Man dies in Upper Bavaria – Infected by mouse?

Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm. In Upper Bavaria, a man has died from the consequences of an infection with the rare but dangerous Borna virus. Another man infected with the virus is currently being treated, a spokeswoman for the Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm district office reported. Both are from the Pfaffenhofen urban area.

The health department is currently “intensively” investigating the possible route of infection and is in close contact with the experts at the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL).

Borna Disease Virus 1 (BoDV-1) is found in the European shrew. The animals excrete the virus in urine, feces, and saliva, according to the LGL.

Exactly how the virus is transmitted from the common shrew to humans is not yet clear. Various transmission routes are conceivable, such as ingestion of the virus through contaminated food or water, or contact infection via contaminated soil.

To protect yourself from infection, the LGL advises avoiding contact with shrews and their droppings. Live or dead animals should not be touched with bare hands.

The pathogen has long been known to occur in animals. Only since 2018 has it been proven that BoDV-1 is also transmissible to humans, causing usually fatal encephalitis.

The disease has been notifiable since 2020. Since then, up to six acute cases of BoDV-1 encephalitis have been reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) per reporting year, the majority of which were in Bavaria, the LGL writes.

RND/dpa