Posted by Zo on July 7, 2001, at 0:40:28
Borna Disease Virus Linked With Severe Mood Disorders
------------------------------------------------------------------------LONDON (Reuters Health) Jul 05 - High amounts of circulating immune complexes of Borna disease virus correlates with severity of depression, investigators in Germany report.
Borna disease virus targets limbic structure neurons and is known to cause behavioral abnormalities in animals, Dr. Liv Bode of the Robert Koch-Institut in Berlin and colleagues explain in the July issue of Molecular Psychiatry.
Using a highly sensitive enzyme immune assay to analysis 3000 human plasma samples, Dr. Bode's group found that Borna disease virus-specific circulating immune complexes in humans were approximately "10 times higher" than that detected by previous serologic studies.
In group of 28 patients with major depressive disorder or depressive crisis in bipolar disorder and 28 patients with moderate depressive symptoms, the infection rate approached 100%, Dr. Bode's group reports. Infection rates in a healthy control group of 65 subjects was only 32%. The investigators also noted that high immune complex levels paralleled severe depression.
The investigators conclude that "an etiopathogenic role of Borna disease virus in mood disorders seems considerably strengthened, given the significant coincidence of severe disease and antigenemia."
Mol Psychiatry 2001;6:481-491.
poster:Zo
thread:69244
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010701/msgs/69244.html