A previously unknown rustrela virus might be the cause of a staggering disease that affects cats in some parts of Europe
Life
1 July 2022
Pet cats in some parts of Europe can sometimes develop a mysterious disease Laurie 4593/Shutterstock
The cause of a brain disease in cats that makes them develop symptoms such as staggering is a previously unknown virus, a study suggests. The pathogen is a rustrela virus and is probably carried by wood mice.
The findings show that rustrela viruses are more diverse and widespread than previously thought, according to Kaspar Matiasek at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and his colleagues. They write that the viruses might cause neurological diseases in other mammals …
