Neuropathologic Basis of WNV Infection: Mechanisms and Treatment

Since live West Nile Virus (WNV) has rarely been detected in the autopsy brain tissue, plasma or CSF of WNV patients, our objective is study the early repsonses of astrocytes, which could get primed by viral particles. The long-term goal of this project is to determine the neuropathologic basis of WNV infection with a hope to develop specific treatments, treatments that will have a broader impact, and help design innovative strategies to treat WNV as well as other forms of neuroinvasive viral infections Cerebellar tissue treated with mock or west nile virus in mice.