What is the characteristic pathology of Borna disease?

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Multiple Choice

What is the characteristic pathology of Borna disease?

Borna disease is a viral infection of the central nervous system, and its characteristic pathology is nonsuppurative polioencephalitis. This means inflammation of the brain parenchyma with a predominance of mononuclear cells—lymphocytes and plasma cells—around small blood vessels (perivascular cuffing) and reactive gliosis, but without pus. In other words, you see a lymphocytic encephalitis rather than neutrophilic, pus-forming (suppurative) inflammation. The other conditions describe pathology in organs not primarily affected by Borna disease (liver or kidneys) or a bacterial-type inflammatory pattern, which is why they don’t fit this disease.

Borna disease is a viral infection of the central nervous system, and its characteristic pathology is nonsuppurative polioencephalitis. This means inflammation of the brain parenchyma with a predominance of mononuclear cells—lymphocytes and plasma cells—around small blood vessels (perivascular cuffing) and reactive gliosis, but without pus. In other words, you see a lymphocytic encephalitis rather than neutrophilic, pus-forming (suppurative) inflammation. The other conditions describe pathology in organs not primarily affected by Borna disease (liver or kidneys) or a bacterial-type inflammatory pattern, which is why they don’t fit this disease.

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