Ocular involvement in BDV-infected rabbits and primates

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Virology
• Immunology

Background:

• Retinal pigment epitheliopathies like Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome present with multifocal lesions in the posterior eye pole.
• The exact causes of these conditions, including acute pigment epithelitis and multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy, remain unknown, though immune or viral factors are suspected.
• Histological data from affected human eyes are lacking for these specific conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of Borna disease virus infection to induce retinal lesions.
• To explore the pathological similarities between experimental Borna disease retinopathy and human retinal pigment epitheliopathies.

Main Methods:

• Induction of experimental Borna disease in rabbits and rhesus monkeys.
• Histopathological examination of the central nervous system and eyes.

Main Results:

• Encephalitic lesions were observed in experimentally infected animals.
• A reproducible multifocal retinopathy was identified, primarily located in the posterior pole of the eye.
• The observed retinopathy shares characteristics with human retinal pigment epitheliopathies.

Conclusions:

• Experimental Borna disease can induce a characteristic multifocal retinopathy in animal models.
• These findings suggest a potential viral etiology for certain human retinal pigment epitheliopathies.
• Further research is warranted to explore the role of viral infections in these ocular conditions.