September 15, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is leading a 35-site study to evaluate the effectiveness of a potential new treatment for West Nile virus. “Animal studies show that viral antibodies harvested from individuals previously exposed to the virus may be an effective therapy for speeding recovery and preventing neurological complications and death in patients infected with the virus,” said Dr. Richard Whitley, UAB professor of pediatrics with the department of pediatric infectious diseases.
Funding for the study, provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is part of a seven-year, $42 million grant awarded to UAB to support the ongoing research activities of NIAID’s Collaborative Antiviral Study Group (CASG). The group, comprised of investigators representing various disciplines from many sites across the nation, was initially funded by NIAID in 1983. “Our aim is to develop therapies for viral diseases for which there is either no or unsatisfactory therapy,” Whitley said. “Studies initially focused on herpes simplex encephalitis, but now include a variety of viral diseases.”
West Nile virus, an infection carried and transmitted by mosquitoes, has grown in the United States from 62 cases in 1999 to more than 4,000 cases last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Controlling the emergence and spread of new infections in the United States is a real problem,” Whitley said. “There are several emerging infections that represent a public health threat. West Nile virus has taken center stage because of the rapid rate at which it has spread throughout the United States and the high rate of death associated with the disease.”
In total, research sites will enroll 110 men and women, age 18 or older, who are hospitalized with West Nile virus. “Patients who elect to participate in the study will be given a single intravenous infusion of either the experimental therapy or a placebo,” Whitley said. “Patients will be followed for six months to document their outcome.”
While researchers hope to conclude the study in two years, the seasonal nature of the virus makes the timeframe especially challenging. “Each site must have the approval of its Internal Review Board before enrolling patients,” Whitley said. “The process may cost valuable time in identifying and enrolling patients before the weather turns cool, killing the mosquitoes and quieting the virus until next year.”
More information about the study and a list of participating CASG sites are available online at www.uab.edu/medicine/peds/casg.