Dec
11
Anti-HIV Drug for West Nile Virus Encephalitis
Of late, several experiments were conducted to test which drug would work best in treating West Nile Virus Encephalitis, a condition characterized by the inflammation of the brain. The various tests made paved the way for the discovery that a drug originally intended to fight HIV may help this dangerous brain infection.
The West Nile Virus is a serious condition carried by infected mosquitoes. It can also be carried by ticks. It is commonly transmitted through blood transfusions, organ transplants, breastfeeding, and during pregnancy from mother to child. It is considered as a seasonal epidemic in North America. It commonly breaks out during the summer, but may continue until fall.
More often than not, the people who are infected with this virus do not experience symptoms until the latter stage of the infection. West Nile Virus Encephalitis is among the serious and advanced symptoms of the West Nile Virus infection.
The drug discovered through the experiments is called the AMD3100. Although it doesn’t actually tackle the West Nile Virus infection itself, it actually causes a certain change in the system, which leads to the fending off of the said West Nile Virus infection symptom. AMD3100 works by targeting the blood-brain barrier, which keeps infection-fighting inflammatory cells out of the brain.
According to the experts who are behind this research, the AMD3100 might also work in dealing with the other causes of encephalitis.