A dynamic duo to fight MERS
Experiments in mice suggest that a two-antibody cocktail could prevent infection with the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus
T
he Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) currently poses a relatively minor threat to human health, but more dangerous strains could emerge through natural mutation. Researchers at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals have demonstrated that treatment with a pair of virus-binding antibodies could confer potent protection against infection with MERS-CoV, even when administered after exposure to the virus. MERS-CoV has about 34% mortality rate in humans, but the spread of this virus has been limited, with only about 2,600 cases reported, almost all in the Arabian Peninsula. But the virus continues to circulate widely in camels throughout the Middle East, and as COVID19 has demonstrated, new coronavirus variants can emerge that readily jump from animals to humans.
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December 2021
MERS-CoV currently poses a minor threat to human health, but more dangerous strains could emerge through natural mutation.
