US Researchers Report Experimental Vaccine For MERS Shows Promise In Animal Studies

The mice vaccinated with the experimental vaccine prompted immune response and produced antibodies that neutralized MERS strains.

A new experimental vaccine for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has shown positive results in animal testing provoking immune response that could lead to a vaccine for people.

Currently there are no licensed vaccines for MERS, which first appeared in 2012 and has caused numerous scares including a recent deadly outbreak in South Korea.

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MERS, a newly discovered respiratory disease, was recently reported in the Arabian region. MERS is caused by a virus similar to that causing common cold and other respiratory illnesses.

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.

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.

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The study with the promising findings was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers are now working on versions of the vaccine that could be tested in clinical trials for humans.

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The MERS outbreak in South Korea in May infected some 180 people, killing 36. The World Health Organization has identified 1,368 cases since 2012 including 490 deaths, most of them in Saudi Arabia.

Source-AFP

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