title: Successful treatment of West Nile virus infection after approximately 3 weeks into the disease course.
abstract: West Nile virus can cause a febrile illness that may progress to meningoencephalitis. The only available treatments are ribavirin (although it has had limited success in humans) and interferon alpha-2b. A small pilot study showed that starting treatment with interferon alpha-2b on days 1-4 of hospital admission may reduce disease severity and complications. We encountered an 83-year-old man with West Nile meningoencephalitis who began taking interferon alpha-2b 3 weeks after disease presentation. Although studies and reports indicate that treatment is less likely to provide a favorable response if administered after days 1-6 of the disease course, the patient experienced substantial beneficial effects from this treatment. This is the first case report, to our knowledge, that describes successful treatment with interferon alpha-2b after several weeks of West Nile virus infection. Further studies are warranted to more fully understand the value of interferon alpha-2b in treating West Nile meningoencephalitis.
authors.affiliation: Walgreens Pharmacy, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Jarrett R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Amsden
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013997:Time Factors; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007372:Interferons