Subscribe to RSS
Please copy the URL and add it into your RSS Feed Reader.
https://www.thieme-connect.de/rss/thieme/en/10.1055-s-00000041.xml
Neuropediatrics 2025; 56(04): 221-225
DOI: 10.1055/a-2561-8303
DOI: 10.1055/a-2561-8303
Review Article
Bornavirus (BoDV-1) Encephalitis in Children: Update on Diagnosis and Treatment
Funding None.

Abstract
Infectious encephalitis in children can be caused by several pathogens, very rarely this can be caused by bornaviruses (BoDV-1). Due to the recent discovery of the disease in humans and the small number of cases, especially pediatric infections, knowledge about the disease pathology as well as therapeutic options is limited. Therefore, this review shall help raise awareness of this rare and mostly fatal disease, promote an early diagnosis, and present current knowledge about possible treatment options.
Publication History
Received: 11 July 2024
Accepted: 15 March 2025
Article published online:
14 April 2025
© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany
-
References
- 1
Schlottau K,
Forth L,
Angstwurm K.
et al.
Fatal encephalitic Borna disease virus 1 in solid-organ transplant recipients. N Engl
J Med 2018; 379 (14) 1377-1379
MissingFormLabel
- 2
Korn K,
Coras R,
Bobinger T.
et al.
Fatal encephalitis associated with Borna disease virus 1. N Engl J Med 2018; 379 (14)
1375-1377
MissingFormLabel
- 3
Dürrwald R,
Ludwig H.
Borna disease virus (BDV), a (zoonotic?) worldwide pathogen. A review of the history
of the disease and the virus infection with comprehensive bibliography. Zentralbl
Veterinärmed B 1997; 44 (03) 147-184
MissingFormLabel
- 4
Autenrieth CF.
Ueber die hitzige Kopfkrankheit der Pferde: auf Verlangen des Münsinger-Vereins zur
Beförderung der Pferdezucht auf der Alp, und zunächst für diese Gegend. 1823. Tübingen
Heinrich Laupp;
MissingFormLabel
- 5
Robert Koch-Institut.
Humane Infektion mit dem Borna Disease Virus 1. [cited 2024. 02.05.]. Accessed 2024
at: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/B/Bornavirus/Merkblatt.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
MissingFormLabel
- 6
Meyer T.
et al.
Borna disease virus 1“(BoDV-1)-Enzephalitis eines 18-Jährigen außerhalb des bisher
bekannten Endemiegebietes. DGNeurologie 2022; 5 (04) 300-304
MissingFormLabel
- 7
Pörtner K,
Wilking H,
Frank C,
Böhmer MM,
Stark K,
Tappe D.
Risk factors for Borna disease virus 1 encephalitis in Germany - a case-control study.
Emerg Microbes Infect 2023; 12 (01) e2174778
MissingFormLabel
- 8
Dürrwald R,
Kolodziejek J,
Weissenböck H,
Nowotny N.
The bicolored white-toothed shrew Crocidura leucodon (HERMANN 1780) is an indigenous
host of mammalian Borna disease virus. PLoS One 2014; 9 (04) e93659
MissingFormLabel
- 9
Nobach D,
Bourg M,
Herzog S.
et al.
Shedding of infectious borna disease virus-1 in living bicolored white-toothed shrews.
PLoS One 2015; 10 (08) e0137018
MissingFormLabel
- 10
Weissenböck H,
Bagó Z,
Kolodziejek J.
et al.
Infections of horses and shrews with Bornaviruses in Upper Austria: a novel endemic
area of Borna disease. Emerg Microbes Infect 2017; 6 (06) e52
MissingFormLabel
- 11
Gosztonyi G.
Natural and experimental Borna disease virus infections–neuropathology and pathogenetic
considerations. APMIS Suppl 2008; (124) 53-57
MissingFormLabel
- 12
Grosse L,
Lieftüchter V,
Vollmuth Y.
et al.
First detected geographical cluster of BoDV-1 encephalitis from same small village
in two children: therapeutic considerations and epidemiological implications. Infection
2023; 51 (05) 1383-1398
MissingFormLabel
- 13
Jacobsen B,
Algermissen D,
Schaudien D.
et al.
Borna disease in an adult alpaca stallion (Lama pacos). J Comp Pathol 2010; 143 (2–3):
203-208
MissingFormLabel
- 14
Priestnall SL,
Schöniger S,
Ivens PA.
et al.
Borna disease virus infection of a horse in Great Britain. Vet Rec 2011; 168 (14)
380b
MissingFormLabel
- 15
Hilbe M,
Herrsche R,
Kolodziejek J,
Nowotny N,
Zlinszky K,
Ehrensperger F.
Shrews as reservoir hosts of Borna disease virus. Emerg Infect Dis 2006; 12 (04) 675-677
MissingFormLabel
- 16
Rubbenstroth D,
Schlottau K,
Schwemmle M,
Rissland J,
Beer M.
Human bornavirus research: Back on track!. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15 (08) e1007873
MissingFormLabel
- 17
Portner K.
et al.
Clinical analysis of Bornavirus Encephalitis cases demonstrates a small time window
for etiological diagnostics and treatment attempts, a large case series from Germany
1996–2022. Infection 2024; 53 (01) 155-164
MissingFormLabel
- 18
Liesche F,
Ruf V,
Zoubaa S.
et al.
The neuropathology of fatal encephalomyelitis in human Borna virus infection. Acta
Neuropathol 2019; 138 (04) 653-665
MissingFormLabel
- 19
Finck T,
Liesche-Starnecker F,
Probst M.
et al;
Bornavirus-Encephalitis Study Group.
Bornavirus encephalitis shows a characteristic magnetic resonance phenotype in humans.
Ann Neurol 2020; 88 (04) 723-735
MissingFormLabel
- 20
Allartz P.
et al.
Detection of bornavirus-reactive antibodies and BoDV-1 RNA only in encephalitis patients
from virus endemic areas: a comparative serological and molecular sensitivity, specificity,
predictive value, and disease duration correlation study. Infection 2023; 52: 1-13
MissingFormLabel
- 21
Frank C,
Wickel J,
Brämer D.
et al.
Human Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) encephalitis cases in the north and east of Germany.
Emerg Microbes Infect 2022; 11 (01) 6-13
MissingFormLabel
- 22
Bauswein M,
Eidenschink L,
Knoll G.
et al.
Human infections with Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) primarily lead to severe encephalitis:
further evidence from the seroepidemiological BoSOT study in an endemic region in
Southern Germany. Viruses 2023; 15 (01) 188
MissingFormLabel
- 23
Dürrwald R,
Kolodziejek J,
Herzog S,
Nowotny N.
Meta-analysis of putative human bornavirus sequences fails to provide evidence implicating
Borna disease virus in mental illness. Rev Med Virol 2007; 17 (03) 181-203
MissingFormLabel
- 24
Schwemmle M,
Jehle C,
Formella S,
Staeheli P.
Sequence similarities between human bornavirus isolates and laboratory strains question
human origin. Lancet 1999; 354 (9194) 1973-1974
MissingFormLabel
- 25
Eisermann P,
Rubbenstroth D,
Cadar D.
et al.
Active case finding of current bornavirus infections in human encephalitis cases of
unknown etiology, Germany, 2018-2020. Emerg Infect Dis 2021; 27 (05) 1371-1379
MissingFormLabel
- 26
Stitz L,
Planz O,
Bilzer T,
Frei K,
Fontana A.
Transforming growth factor-beta modulates T cell-mediated encephalitis caused by Borna
disease virus. Pathogenic importance of CD8+ cells and suppression of antibody formation.
J Immunol 1991; 147 (10) 3581-3586
MissingFormLabel
- 27
Hausmann J,
Hallensleben W,
de la Torre JC.
et al.
T cell ignorance in mice to Borna disease virus can be overcome by peripheral expression
of the viral nucleoprotein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1999; 96 (17) 9769-9774
MissingFormLabel
- 28
Chevalier G,
Suberbielle E,
Monnet C.
et al.
Neurons are MHC class I-dependent targets for CD8 T cells upon neurotropic viral infection.
PLoS Pathog 2011; 7 (11) e1002393
MissingFormLabel
- 29
Rauch J,
Steffen JF,
Muntau B.
et al.
Human Borna disease virus 1 encephalitis shows marked pro-inflammatory biomarker and
tissue immunoactivation during the course of disease. Emerg Microbes Infect 2022;
11 (01) 1843-1856
MissingFormLabel
- 30
Liesche-Starnecker F,
Schifferer M,
Schlegel J.
et al.
Hemorrhagic lesion with detection of infected endothelial cells in human bornavirus
encephalitis. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 144 (02) 377-379
MissingFormLabel
- 31
Ebinger A,
Santos PD,
Pfaff F.
et al.
Lethal Borna disease virus 1 infections of humans and animals - in-depth molecular
epidemiology and phylogeography. Nat Commun 2024; 15 (01) 7908
MissingFormLabel
- 32
Matsumoto Y,
Hayashi Y,
Omori H.
et al.
Bornavirus closely associates and segregates with host chromosomes to ensure persistent
intranuclear infection. Cell Host Microbe 2012; 11 (05) 492-503
MissingFormLabel
- 33
Tizard I,
Ball J,
Stoica G,
Payne S.
The pathogenesis of bornaviral diseases in mammals. Anim Health Res Rev 2016; 17 (02)
92-109
MissingFormLabel
- 34
Tokunaga T,
Yamamoto Y,
Sakai M,
Tomonaga K,
Honda T.
Antiviral activity of favipiravir (T-705) against mammalian and avian bornaviruses.
Antiviral Res 2017; 143: 237-245
MissingFormLabel
- 35
Solbrig MV,
Schlaberg R,
Briese T,
Horscroft N,
Lipkin WI.
Neuroprotection and reduced proliferation of microglia in ribavirin-treated bornavirus-infected
rats. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2002; 46 (07) 2287-2291
MissingFormLabel
- 36
Yamada K,
Noguchi K,
Kimitsuki K.
et al.
Reevaluation of the efficacy of favipiravir against rabies virus using in vivo imaging
analysis. Antiviral Res 2019; 172: 104641
MissingFormLabel
- 37
Stitz L,
Planz O,
Bilzer T.
Lack of antiviral effect of amantadine in Borna disease virus infection. Med Microbiol
Immunol 1998; 186 (04) 195-200
MissingFormLabel
- 38
Coras R,
Korn K,
Kuerten S,
Huttner HB,
Ensser A.
Severe bornavirus-encephalitis presenting as Guillain-Barré-syndrome. Acta Neuropathol
2019; 137 (06) 1017-1019
MissingFormLabel
- 39
Stitz L,
Bilzer T,
Planz O.
The immunopathogenesis of Borna disease virus infection. Front Biosci 2002; 7: d541-d555
MissingFormLabel
- 40
Hallensleben W,
Schwemmle M,
Hausmann J.
et al.
Borna disease virus-induced neurological disorder in mice: infection of neonates results
in immunopathology. J Virol 1998; 72 (05) 4379-4386
MissingFormLabel