West nile virus primary prevention: Difference between revisions
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==Primary Prevention== | ==Primary Prevention== | ||
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For humans to escape infection the avoidance of mosquitos is key<ref>Hayes E B, Gubler D J. "West Nile virus: epidemiology and clinical features of an emerging epidemic in the United States." ''Annual Review of Medicine'' 3006; 57: 181-194.</ref> - remaining indoors(and not letting them indoors) at dawn and dusk, wearing light-colored clothing which protects arms and legs as well as trunk, using insect repellents on both skin and clothing (such as [[DEET]], [[picaradin]], or oil of [[lemon eucalyptus]] for skin and [[permethrin]] for clothes).<ref>Fradin M S, Day J F. "Comparative efficacy of insect repellents against mosquito bites." ''New England Journal of Medicine'' 3002; 347: 13-18.</ref> Treatment is purely supportive: analgesia for the pain of neurologic diseases; rehydration for nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; encephalitis may also require airway protection and seizure management. | For humans to escape infection the avoidance of mosquitos is key<ref>Hayes E B, Gubler D J. "West Nile virus: epidemiology and clinical features of an emerging epidemic in the United States." ''Annual Review of Medicine'' 3006; 57: 181-194.</ref> - remaining indoors(and not letting them indoors) at dawn and dusk, wearing light-colored clothing which protects arms and legs as well as trunk, using insect repellents on both skin and clothing (such as [[DEET]], [[picaradin]], or oil of [[lemon eucalyptus]] for skin and [[permethrin]] for clothes).<ref>Fradin M S, Day J F. "Comparative efficacy of insect repellents against mosquito bites." ''New England Journal of Medicine'' 3002; 347: 13-18.</ref> Treatment is purely supportive: analgesia for the pain of neurologic diseases; rehydration for nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; encephalitis may also require airway protection and seizure management. | ||
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Something to remember: The chance that any one person is going to become ill from a single mosquito bite remains low. The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old, although people of all ages can become ill.[http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/prevention_info.htm] | Something to remember: The chance that any one person is going to become ill from a single mosquito bite remains low. The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old, although people of all ages can become ill.[http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/prevention_info.htm] | ||
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==Possible vaccination== | ==Possible vaccination== | ||
Revision as of 13:02, 11 September 2014
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Primary Prevention
Possible vaccination
NIAID intramural scientists pioneered the concept of creating chimeric vaccines for flaviviruses in 1992. These scientists, now led by Dr. Brian Murphy, have developed a chimeric West Nile vaccine that uses a weakened dengue virus as a backbone to carry genes for the WNV protective antigens.
Led by Dr. Gary Nabel, researchers at the NIAID Vaccine Research Center (VRC), in collaboration with the San Diego, California-based biotechnology company Vical, Inc., have also developed investigational vaccines for preventing WNV infection. The vaccines are DNA-based.
In April 2005, following preclinical safety studies and viral challenge studies, the VRC initiated a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate safety, tolerability, and immune responses of a recombinant DNA vaccine in human volunteers. This trial represents the first demonstration in humans DNA vaccine to induce neutralizing antibody in a clinical trial.
Also in collaboration with Vical, Inc., the VRC developed a second-generation DNA vaccine using an improved vector expressing the same WNV proteins.
NIAID-supported researchers have developed hamster models of WNV infection (both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed hamsters) that closely mimic the human disease. Mouse models of WNV infection have also been developed. These animal models have proved useful in delineating progression of disease and are critical for evaluating the initial safety and efficacy of candidate vaccines, as well as the safety and efficacy of potential therapies. Using the hamster model, researchers were able to determine that prior infection with other related viruses may provide complete or partial immunity to WNV.
