What evidence is there that BDV infects humans and that this infection is associated with neuropsychiatric disorders?

• In one study, 10-15% of psychiatric patients had Ab to BDV, compared to 2% of the general population.
• In another study, 30% of patients hospitalized for severe depression had BDV Ab.
• BDV nucleic acids (RT-PCR) and Ag have been detected in the blood and brains of psychiatric patients.
• BDV has been isolated from mood disorder patients.

None of these results clearly point to a cause-and-effect relationship, and there is significant controversy as to the specificity of both the serologic and RT-PCR assays. Nonetheless, concern remains for a possible role for BDV in human psychiatric disorders, and for the potential for BDV to be zoonotic.

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