Rhinovirus Disease : Treatment And Prevention

RHINOVIRUS DISEASE : TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

Currently there is no specific therapy and no methods of prevention with vaccines. Prospects for the development of an appropriate vaccine appear dim. The multiplicity of serotypes and their tendency to be type specific in the production of antibodies seem to demand the development of a multivalent vaccine, which would be extremely difficult to accomplish. However, recent studies have suggested that a monoclonal antibody directed at the virus receptor or the use of a recombinant soluble receptor (ICAM-1) might block attachment of rhinoviruses. Pleconaril, a capsid inhibitor that integrates into the viral cap-sid in the VP1 hydrophobic pocket of the virus, is another agent under study. This can block capsid attachment to cells and perhaps also affect viral uncoating after entry. In vitro, pleconaril shows broad activity against picornaviruses, including enteroviruses. It remains to be seen whether these observations can be translated into effective preventive or therapeutic applications. At present, the attitude toward these viruses is best summed up by Sir Christopher Andrewes, who suggested that we should accept these infections as “one of the stimulating risks of being mortal.”