Oct. 31, 2009 A collaborative research team from the Uniformed
Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), Australian
Animal Health Laboratory and National Cancer Institute, a
component of the National Institutes of Health, reports a major
step forward in the development of an effective therapy against
two deadly viruses, Nipah virus and the related Hendra virus.
Nipah and Hendra viruses are found in Pteropid fruit bats
(flying foxes) and are characterized by their recent emergence
as agents capable of causing illness and death in domestic
animals and humans. In experiments carried out in ferrets at the
Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, Victoria,
Australia, where there is a high-level safety and security
facility for working with live Nipah and Hendra viruses, the
team of researchers demonstrated that giving an anti-virus human
monoclonal antibody therapy after exposure to Nipah virus
protected the animals from disease. "These findings are
extremely encouraging and clearly suggest the pote