Inhibition of infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus by equine neutralizing antibody in aged mice.
The high susceptibility of elderly to severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) indicates how crucial it is to protect the elderly by various strategies. Aged BALB/c mice displayed a high susceptibility to SARS-CoV and have been a valuable platform for evaluation of strategies against SARS-CoV infection. In this study, we confirmed the validity of this model using various methods, and verified that equine anti-SARS-CoV F(ab')(2) can prevent aged animals from SARS-CoV infection. In a therapeutic setting, treatment with anti-SARS-CoV F(ab')(2) decreased viral load more than several thousand folds in the lungs. Thus, this antibody should be a potential candidate for treatment of elderly patients suffering from SARS.
Zhou
Lili
L
Department of Immunology, Institute of Microbiology Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China.
Ni
Bing
B
Luo
Deyan
D
Zhao
Guangyu
G
Jia
Zhengcai
Z
Zhang
Liangyan
L
Lin
Zhihua
Z
Wang
Li
L
Zhang
Songle
S
Xing
Li
L
Li
Jintao
J
Liang
Yunfei
Y
Shi
Xinfu
X
Zhao
Tingting
T
Zhou
Liyun
L
Wu
Yuzhang
Y
Wang
Xiliang
X
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006736:Horses; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments