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CA company announces human testing for West Nile vaccine

Infection Control Monitor, April 22, 2005

Vical Incorporated, a San Diego biopharmaceutical company, announced this week that initial human testing of a vaccine aimed to immunize the West Nile virus has begun at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD.

West Nile virus, which is spread by many species of mosquitoes, can cause many serious symptoms, including coma and paralysis. It sometimes results in encephalitis, a deadly swelling of the brain, and meningitis, a swelling of the membrane surrounding the brain.

Vical's West Nile vaccine targets two surface proteins of the virus. As part of the trial, 15 healthy adults will receive three injections at four-week intervals. The adults will be monitored for immune responses against the encoded West Nile proteins.

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