March 29, 2006

Horse antibodies may be used to treat H5N1 bird flu

Antibodies from horses may one day be used to treat and protect humans and animals from the H5N1 virus.

Research by Jiahai Lu from the Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China and his other colleagues from other institutions indicate that antibodies from horses can prevent mice infected with H5N1 from dying of the virus.

The study said that a dose of horse anti-serum protects infected mice, suggesting that anti-H5N1 antibodies developed in horses could potentially be used to prevent death from H5N1 influenza, or as early treatment for the disease, in humans.

The team infected dog kidney cells in vitro with a lethal dose of H5N1 and simultaneously exposed the cells to horse antibodies against H5N1. Results show that the cells infected with H5N1 and exposed to horse antibodies did not die.

The team then injected horse antibodies into 40 mice infected 24 hours earlier. All the mice survived while all in the control group, which did not receive the antibodies, died.