BORNA-DISEASE VIRUS IN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONONUCLEAR AND BONE-MARROW CELLS OF NEONATALLY AND CHRONICALLY INFECTED-RATS

Borna disease virus (BDV) establishes a persistent infection in cells of the nervous system in rats. The response, or lack thereof, of the i mmune system to BDV infection of neurons is responsible for the presen ce or absence, respectively, of Borna disease. We recently demonstrate d transmission of BDV by bone marrow cells from neonatally infected ra ts. Our findings suggested the possibility of a heretofore unsuspected interaction between BDV and the immune system, that of direct effects of BDV infection on the cells of the immune system. This report enlar ges upon the previous findings and confirms the presence of BDV RNA in bone marrow cells of neonatally infected rats, using a reverse transc ription-polymerization chain reaction-enzyme immunosorbent assay (RT-P CR-EIA). In addition, we detected BDV RNA in peripheral blood mononucl ear cells of neonatally infected rats, and in rats inoculated as adult s in the chronic, but not the acute, stage of infection. In addition, the RT-PCR-EIA technique identified BDV RNA in cerebrospinal fluid, na sal secretions, saliva, urine and stool. BDV-sequences were not detect ed in the plasma of infected animals nor in the body fluids and tissue s of normal rats.