[Kryptid (OP)]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies

For humans, rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms of the disease appear. This is because no effective treatment has been developed to deal with it yet. One possible exception to that statement would be the 'Milwaukee Protocol' which has only been used successfully once (all subsequent attempts have failed, but the protocol may have actually been violated in those cases): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanna_Giese

I had an idea for a possible route of treatment, but I need to know more. To start off, I've read from multiple sources that opossums very rarely contract rabies (this is thought to be due to their relatively low body temperature). The implication of this is that it seems that the rabies virus has a particular range of temperatures at which it operates effectively. Could the induction of a lower body temperature in patients prevent the rabies virus from reproducing and hence progressing?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryotherapy

I realize that cold temperatures alone will not destroy the virus particles, but if it prevents them from reproducing it should significantly reduce the likelihood that the virus could adapt to anti-viral drugs that were administered to the patient. Afterall, natural selection requires reproduction in order to work.

Thoughts?

_{Mod edit - formatted the subject as a question.  Please try to do this to help keep the forum tidy and easy to navigate - thanks!}

[mario]

I dont think lowering the core body temp would work too well. I reckon it would only reduce the activity of the virus. As soon as the body temp increased the virus would become more agressive again. And by having a recduced body temp it may also hindered the efficacy of any administered antivirals.

To have any effect on the virus i think you'd have to lower the body temp so much that you could induce a heart attack. Although i guess by killing the patient, you do kill the virus...

[mario]

http://www.tokb.ru/elibrary/jornal/files/2508.pdf [nofollow]

The paper publised by Dr. Willoughby who treated jeanna giese by inducing a coma.

He stated that "Hypothermia was ruled out because of its effects on immune function". His backgroung info on hypothermia and immune responses was based on :

Beilin B, Shavit Y, Razumovsky J, Wolloch
Y, Zeidel A, Bessler H. Effects of mild
perioperative hypothermia on cellular immune
responses. Anesthesiology 1998;89:
1133-40.