What is "borna disease"

Borna disease is an infectious neurological syndrome of warm-blooded animals, caused by Borna disease virus (BDV), which causes abnormal behaviour and fatality. The Borna disease virus is a neurotropic virus and is a member of the Bornaviridae family within the Mononegavirales order.

Although the Borna disease virus is mainly seen as the causative agent of borna disease in horses and other animals, it also infects humans and is therefore considered to be a zoonotic agent. The role of BDV in human illness is controversial and it is yet to be established whether BDV causes any overt disease in humans. However, correlative evidence exists linking BDV infection with neuropsychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder.