Researchers in Estonia, using cows, have created a spray treatment that can help to prevent Covid-19 infection and make those who have the disease less contagious.
A partnership including University of Tartu and the Estonian University of Life Sciences developed a nasal and throat spray based on antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
The team injected antigens of the SARS protein into pregnant cows and collected the antibodies in the colostrum - the first form of milk produced immediately following delivery of the newborn.
They reported (see TV interview below) that the spray acted on the surface of the mucous membranes in the nose and throat, where it can specifically inactivate the virus.
“It is noteworthy that these antibodies were effective not only against the Wuhan strain but also against the new, more easily transmitted UK, South Africa and Brazil variants,” said Mart Ustav of University of Tartu.
Previously reported in EARA News Digest, scientists in the Netherlands and USA, created a nasal spray that stopped the spread of Covid-19 in ferrets.