#35 – Rustrela Virus: the Mystery of the Staggering Cats

Since the 1970s, cats in Sweden, and later in and around Vienna, have been falling ill with a mysterious brain inflammation known as staggering disease. Affected cats develop fever, behavioral changes, a staggering gait and often paralysis of the hind legs, and most have to be euthanized. For decades Borna disease virus was the main suspect, but metagenomics finally solved the case: in 2023, rustrela virus, a close relative of rubella virus, was detected in 27 out of 29 affected cats from Sweden, Germany and Austria.