Nature Communications (Feb 2023)
Mystery of fatal ‘staggering disease’ unravelled: novel rustrela virus causes severe meningoencephalomyelitis in domestic cats
- Kaspar Matiasek,
- Florian Pfaff,
- Herbert Weissenböck,
- Claudia Wylezich,
- Jolanta Kolodziejek,
- Sofia Tengstrand,
- Frauke Ecke,
- Sina Nippert,
- Philip Starcky,
- Benedikt Litz,
- Jasmin Nessler,
- Peter Wohlsein,
- Christina Baumbach,
- Lars Mundhenk,
- Andrea Aebischer,
- Sven Reiche,
- Pia Weidinger,
- Karin M. Olofsson,
- Cecilia Rohdin,
- Christiane Weissenbacher-Lang,
- Julia Matt,
- Marco Rosati,
- Thomas Flegel,
- Birger Hörnfeldt,
- Dirk Höper,
- Rainer G. Ulrich,
- Norbert Nowotny,
- Martin Beer,
- Cecilia Ley,
- Dennis Rubbenstroth
Affiliations
- Kaspar Matiasek
- Section of Clinical & Comparative Neuropathology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet-Muenchen
- Florian Pfaff
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Herbert Weissenböck
- Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
- Claudia Wylezich
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Jolanta Kolodziejek
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
- Sofia Tengstrand
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
- Frauke Ecke
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
- Sina Nippert
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Philip Starcky
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Benedikt Litz
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Jasmin Nessler
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
- Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
- Christina Baumbach
- State Office for Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries
- Lars Mundhenk
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin
- Andrea Aebischer
- Department of Experimental Animal Facilities and Biorisk Management, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Sven Reiche
- Department of Experimental Animal Facilities and Biorisk Management, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Pia Weidinger
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
- Karin M. Olofsson
- Department of Pathology and Wildlife Diseases, National Veterinary Institute (SVA)
- Cecilia Rohdin
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
- Christiane Weissenbacher-Lang
- Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
- Julia Matt
- Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
- Marco Rosati
- Section of Clinical & Comparative Neuropathology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet-Muenchen
- Thomas Flegel
- Department of Small Animal Medicine, Leipzig University
- Birger Hörnfeldt
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
- Dirk Höper
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Rainer G. Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Norbert Nowotny
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
- Martin Beer
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- Cecilia Ley
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
- Dennis Rubbenstroth
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36204-w
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 14
Abstract
Rustrela virus (RusV) was detected in the brains of 27 out of 29 domestic cats with ‘staggering disease’, but not of 29 control cats. This suggests RusV as the long-sought causative agent of ‘staggering disease’, which had been obscure for 50 years.
