In Germany, three squirrel breeders in their 60s and 70s, died from brain inflammation and they may have contracted a new strain of virus from squirrels. They all bred variegated squirrels, which are sometimes kept as exotic pets. At least two of the men had experienced scratches and bites from their squirrels, the report said. The new virus strain belongs to a group of viruses called bornaviruses, which typically infect animals such as horses, sheep and birds.
Between 2011 and 2013, all three men developed encephalitis, which is inflammation in the brain, and is usually caused by a virus. They experienced fever, chills and weakness, and later, confusion and difficulty walking. All three men were hospitalized and treated in intensive care units, but each eventually went into a coma and died within two to four months of their first symptoms, the report said. A more detailed genetic test of one of the squirrels owned by the breeders identified a new type of bornavirus, which the researchers call VSBV-1. Further study identified this virus in the brain tissue of all three patients, and antibodies to the virus were found in the blood and spinal fluid of one of the men. The virus is the likely cause of the men’s fatal brain inflammation, the researchers said.
“Feeding or direct contact with living or dead variegated squirrels should be avoided as a precautionary measure,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said. Many questions remain, including where the virus naturally “lives” and how it is transmitted……
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