As avian flu spreads west into Europe and fears of a new human pandemic rise, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh may have come up with a simple solution: immunize the chickens.
They have developed a vaccine that protects the chicken from H5N1 avian flu virus and they have said economically it might be advantageous too.
In chickens, the flu strikes quickly, and they usually die within two days, Dr Gambotto and colleagues noted. In this experiment:
-The 20 control chickens all died, with a median survival of 1.8 days after the viral exposure.
-Half of the 10 chickens immunized intranasally died and the other five got sick.
-All of the 10 chickens who received the subcutaneous immunization survived, and there was no non-fatal morbidity.
So hope this solution proves good.
They have developed a vaccine that protects the chicken from H5N1 avian flu virus and they have said economically it might be advantageous too.
In chickens, the flu strikes quickly, and they usually die within two days, Dr Gambotto and colleagues noted. In this experiment:
-The 20 control chickens all died, with a median survival of 1.8 days after the viral exposure.
-Half of the 10 chickens immunized intranasally died and the other five got sick.
-All of the 10 chickens who received the subcutaneous immunization survived, and there was no non-fatal morbidity.
So hope this solution proves good.