Journal of Antivirals & Antiretrovirals
Open Access

Abstract

Oral Ribavirin Treatment Failure for Severe Parainfluenza Type 1 Infection in a Patient with End Stage Interstitial Lung Disease Successfully Treated with DAS181

Bogdanovich T, Kwak EJ, Silveira FP, Pakstis DL, Lanza P and Moss RB

Parainfluenza virus (PIV) infections can cause serious respiratory infections and death in immunocompromised patients. No antiviral drugs have proven efficacy against PIV. DAS181, a sialidase fusion protein has been shown to inhibit infection with PIV strains both in vitro and in animal model. The clinical course of immunocompromised patients with PIV-1 infection is described. After being diagnosed with PIV infection, patient was treated for 18 days with oral Ribavirin (RBV) but failed to respond clinically and no virus clearance was obtained. However, patient tested negative for PIV after a 10-days DAS181 treatment course. This case exemplifies failure of oral RBV treatment of severe Parainfluenza virus infection and subsequent viral clearance associated with administration of inhaled DAS181. Large scale randomized trials are warranted to determine the therapeutic efficacy of DAS181 against PIV related lung disease.