Lethal mutagenesis, or virus extinction produced by enhanced mutation rates, is under investigation as an antiviral strategy that aims at counteracting the adaptive capacity of viral quasispecies, and avoiding selection of antiviral-escape mutants. To explore lethal mutagenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV), it is important to establish whether ribavirin, the purine nucleoside analogue used in ant...

Except for ribavirin, no other antiviral drugs for treating hantaviral diseases have been identified. It is well established that ribavirin will inhibit the production of infectious Hantaan virus (HTNV); however, its mechanism of action is unknown. To characterize the inhibitory effect of ribavirin on HTNV, the levels of viral RNAs, proteins, and infectious particles were measured for 3 days po...

conclusions more than one-quarter of treatment-experienced patients with hcv genotype 3 achieved svr after re-treatment with consensus interferon plus ribavirin. objectives we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of cifn and ribavirin in non-responders and relapsers to pegylated interferon with ribavirin therapy. patients and methods this open-label investigator-initiated study included 44 p...

The nucleoside analogue Ribavirin significantly increases patient response to IFN-α treatment of HCV, by directly inhibiting viral replication. Recent studies indicate that Ribavirin also regulates immunity and we propose that Ribavirin enhances specific interferon sensitive gene (ISG) expression by amplifying the IFN-α-JAK/STAT pathway. We found that IFN-α-induced STAT1 and STAT3 phosphorylati...

BACKGROUND Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever epidemics often occur in areas where health services are limited, and result in high case fatality rates. Besides intensive care, ribavirin is often recommended. A solid evidence base for the use of this drug will help justify assuring access to the drug in areas where epidemics are common. METHODS We carried out a systematic review of observational ...

BACKGROUND Treatment guidelines contraindicate ribavirin for treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in thalassemia major patients. Nevertheless, the current evidence suggests that ribavirin might be tolerated by these patients. OBJECTIVES Despite this evidence, low dose ribavirin combination therapy has not been compared with peginterferon monotherapy in these patients so far. PATIE...

AIM To use meta-analysis to study the risk of anaemiarelated to ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitisC. METHODS The MEDLINE database up to January 2001 was searched for randomized controlled trials of ribavirin (monotherapy or combined with interferon) for chronic hepatitis C. The outcomes evaluated were withdrawal from the study due to anaemia, ribavirin dosage reduction due to a decrease ...

Over the winter of 1988, 10 infants with congenital heart disease were treated for severe bronchiolitis at Guy's Hospital. All required respiratory support of greater than 50% oxygen in a headbox, and seven required assisted ventilation. Seven patients were positive for respiratory syncytial virus, and seven received nebulised ribavirin for three to five days. There were four deaths, all infant...

The ribavirin concentration in hamster brains was measured by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system and a bioassay system. When ribavirin was administered intracranially at a dosage of 10 mg/kg of body weight per day for 10 days, a dosage which results in 100% survival of hamsters infected with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) virus and which inhibits the replication ...

Ribavirin is effective in combination therapies against chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, although its direct antiviral properties are unclear. We therefore studied the immune-modulatory effects of ribavirin on hepatitis B virus (HBV)- and HCV-specific immune responses. During a 24 week placebo-controlled ribavirin trial in ten patients with chronic HCV infection, HCV antibodies and al...