Parechovirus B, formerly called the Ljungan virus, was first discovered in the mid-1990s after being isolated from a bank vole near the Ljungan river in Medelpad county, Sweden.[2] It has since been established that Parechovirus B, which is also found in several places in Europe and America, causes serious illness in wild as well as laboratory animals.[3][4][5][6] Several scientific articles have recently reported findings indicating that Parechovirus B is associated with malformations, intrauterine fetal death, and sudden infant death syndrome in humans.[7][8][9][10] In addition, studies are being conducted worldwide to investigate the possible connection of the virus to diabetes, neurological and other illnesses in humans.[citation needed]
Parechovirus B belongs to the genus Parechovirus of the family Picornaviridae. Other members of this viral family include poliovirus, Hepatovirus A, and the viruses causing the common cold (rhinovirus).[11] One of the earliest scientific discoveries regarding Parechovirus B was that infected wild rodents developed diabetes if they were exposed to stress.[12] This has led to speculation that this disease may be the underlying cause of fluctuating rodent populations in Scandinavia; when rodents increase to high densities, they find it difficult to defend territory and obtain food, and then become more susceptible to predation. This stressful situation results in disease, death and population decline, leading to a pattern of cyclic variation in population size over time.[4]
^Knowles, Nick (7 July 2014). "Rename 12 picornavirus species"(PDF). International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Retrieved 1 May 2019. ParechovirusLjungan virusParechovirus B Ljungan virus 1-4
^Samsioe, A.; Saade, George; Sjöholm, Åke; et al. (2006). "Intrauterine death, fetal malformation, and delayed pregnancy in Ljungan virus-infected mice". Birth Defects Research Part B: Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology. 77 (4): 251–56. doi:10.1002/bdrb.20083. PMID16894624.
^Salisbury, A. M.; Begon, M.; Dove, W.; Niklasson, B.; Stewart, J. P. (2013). "Ljungan virus is endemic in rodents in the UK". Archives of Virology. 159 (3): 547–51. doi:10.1007/s00705-013-1731-6. PMID23665770. S2CID15595591.
^Niklasson, B.; Papadogiannakis, Nikos; Gustafsson, Susanne; et al. (2009). "Zoonotic Ljungan virus associated with central nervous system malformations in terminated pregnancy". Birth Defects Res. A. 85 (6): 542–55. doi:10.1002/bdra.20568. PMID19180651.
^Niklasson, B.; et al. (2007). "Association of zoonotic Ljungan virus with intrauterine fetal deaths". Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology. 79 (6): 488–93. doi:10.1002/bdra.20359. PMID17335057.
^Schoenecker, B.; K.E. Heller & T. Freimanis (2000). "Development of stereotypies and polydipsia in wild caught bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) and their laboratory-bred offspring. Is polydipsia a symptom of diabetes mellitus?". Appl Anim Behav Sci. 68 (4): 349–357. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(00)00108-8. PMID10844158.