Two different animal studies yielded promising findings about a two-step vaccine strategy against the MERS-CoV virus, according to reports, as Saudi Arabia and South Korea continue to battle the disease.
According to the Saudi Gazette and agencies, “vaccinated mice produced antibodies that neutralized MERS strains, according to a study from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The vaccines that caused the largest immune responses in mice were then administered to monkeys.
A potential breakthrough in MERS-CoV has researchers upbeat.
“The monkeys were protected from a serious lung infection characteristic of MERS when given the experimental vaccines and then exposed to a version of the virus, the study said.”
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported one new MERS-CoV infection, and the death of another man who had contracted the virus.
The reports lift Saudi Arabia’s total from the disease to 1,056 cases, including 467 deaths. Seven people are still being treated for their infections, and 582 people have recovered, according to the CIDRAP, a University of Minnesota-connected infectious disease control center.
