Investigation of astrovirus and bornavirus in the cerebrospinal fluid of dogs clinically diagnosed with meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology

BACKGROUND: Non‐suppurative encephalitides in a variety of species, including humans and dogs, have been linked to infection by astroviruses and bornaviruses. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To determine whether or not ribonucleic acid of astroviruses or bornaviruses was present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of dogs with clinically diagnosed meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology (MUE). ANIMALS: Twenty‐five client‐owned dogs evaluated by CSF analysis at a single university referral hospital. METHODS: Prospective case‐control study. Cerebrospinal fluid was collected from clinically diagnosed MUE and control cases and evaluated by reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for the presence of astrovirus and bornavirus. RESULTS: Neither astrovirus nor bornavirus nucleic acids were identified in CSF collected from 20 clinically diagnosed MUE and 5 control cases. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The negative results of this investigation suggest that astrovirus and bornavirus are not commonly detectable in CSF of dogs with MUE.