Washington, July 30 (ANI): Chinese researchers have found a way to protect chickens from fight avian influenza virus, which can be transmitted to humans and other mammals.
They reported that oral chicken interferon-alpha might significantly reduce influenza virus levels when given either preventively or therapeutically.
Interferon-alpha is a cytokine, a chemical produced by immune cells that has a role in inducing antiviral immunity.
Shanshan Meng and colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, People's Republic of China, gave healthy chicks 7 or 33 days old chicken interferon-alpha either before or after exposure to AIV.
The level of virus in their respiratory tracts was then measured and compared.
"This study shows that interferon can be used for both treating the infected chickens as well as protecting the neighbouring uninfected ones; moreover oral administration, which is convenient and inexpensive, is effective," said Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and co-author of the study.
The study appeared in Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (ANI)
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