Squirrel virus kills three men in Germany

A virus spread by squirrels has taken the lives of three men in Germany, one that was spread by imported variegated squirrels. The virus is a new form of bornavirus, and it spread by jumping from the animals to the men. The victims, all squirrel handlers, caught the disease after handling exotic versions of the animals, health officials report.

The three men died within two to four months of developing symptoms of encephalitis – fever, chills, weakness, confusion and difficulty walking.

The exotic species of squirrel can be found in Central America and southern Mexico.

The variegated squirrel, a rare tree squirrel endemic to Central America, has shown that it is capable of transmitting the virus to humans. The study’s senior author, Martin Beer, DVM, head of virus diagnostics at the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute in Insel Riems, Germany, told HealthDay that the three men were in their 60s or older and had other medical conditions that possibly could have contributed to their reaction to the virus. They all succumbed to the illness between 2011 and 2013.

However, three men working for the same squirrel breeding institution and who also knew themselves socially, were reported to have died from a new bornavirus contracted while working with the animals. Analysis of the brains of the victims and squirrels revealed the animals and their handlers were both infected by the previously unknown virus.

Bonaviruses are commonly found in sheep, birds or horses, and it has been a long-standing question on whether they can be transmitted to humans or not. This swelling is not uncommon in cases of the virus, but early testing has not shown exactly what caused the swelling to happen. Encephalitis is usually brought on by a viral infection, but tests for the usual causes of the condition turned up negative, leading health workers to determine a previously undetected virus was to blame. “The role of new bornavirus in the aetiology of these cases, the identification of natural hosts, reservoirs, and transmission route require additional investigations”.

After additional studies were conducted on the issue and a probable link was established, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control advised people in February to not get too close to the squirrels or attempt to feed them in order to avoid any such cases.