Recombinant virus used to treat rabies in mice

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A parainfluenza virus–based therapy saved the lives of some mice infected with rabies in a recent study.

Further research could determine whether the treatment could be used to treat rabies infection in humans.

The scientific article “Parainfluenza virus 5 expressing the G protein of rabies virus protects mice after rabies virus infection,” which was published in March (J Virol 2015;89:3427-3429), indicates researchers at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine produced the virus to express a rabies glycoprotein and administered it to mice at four, five, or six days after inoculation with rabies virus. The study results indicate about 80 percent of the mice treated four days after rabies virus inoculation survived, as did 30 percent of those treated five days and 50 percent treated six days after inoculation.

The parainfluenza virus treatment also was associated with reduced clinical signs of rabies infection.