posted 08-19-2003 09:19 PM            

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%7E24167%7E1576720,00.html

Article Published: Monday, August 18, 2003 - 12:00:00 AM MST W. Nile shot will get trial in Colorado
Israeli plasma may aid those already ill

By Diedtra Henderson, Denver Post Science Writer
As early as this summer, Colorado residents might stand a better chance of surviving West Nile virus, thanks to injections of a smidgen of blood from Israelis who successfully fended off the potentially fatal infection.

The National Institutes of Health- funded trial with the Israelis' blood will play out at 35 sites across the nation where West Nile is expected to strike most ferociously this summer.

Already, one confirmed site is the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where an internal board is completing its review, one of the final hurdles before the trial can begin.

Colorado leads the nation in West Nile cases, with 338 people infected and seven dead so far from the disease.

West Nile virus has long been a scourge in Israel, making people feel crummy, covering their bodies with a rash and, after the infection clears, leaving high concentrations of protective antibodies in their blood.