It’s becoming increasingly clear that if we want to defeat the novel coronavirus we’re going to have to start thinking outside the box. In fact, there can’t be a box. Everything has to be on the table. Even if it means turning to llamas to save us. That’s right. The secret to stopping COVID-19 might lie in using antibodies found in these cuddly creatures. No prob-llama!
Science Alert explains:
“According to a new study published in the journal Cell Tuesday by an international team of researchers, antibodies found in the blood of llamas were able to stave off COVID infections.
‘This is one of the first antibodies known to neutralize SARS-CoV-2,’ Jason McLellan, from the University of Texas at Austin and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
The researchers built on previous research from four years ago in which they found that the antibodies from a then nine-month-old llama named Winter were able to neutralize both SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV viruses over six weeks.
Luckily, the antibodies from Winter – who’s now four years old – also staved off SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Turning to llamas to save us sounds weird, bizarre even. But it’s not the first time that humans will have turned to animals for their medicinal properties.
As the BBC puts it, “These days, many of us are more likely to think of wild animals with a source of human illness rather than cure.
But like plants, which have been part of our medicine cabinets ever since the Neanderthals used poplar tree bark as a painkiller, animals have long been exploited for their medicinal properties.
For example, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) uses ingredients from 36 animal species including rhinos, black bears, tigers and seahorses – many of which are endangered. Ayurvedic medicine recommends snake venom to treat arthritis, while tarantula bites and ground-up fangs traditionally been used in South America, Asia and Africa to cure a variety of ailments, from cancerous tumors to toothaches and asthma.”
And now we can add llamas to that list. And if you don’t like that? Well, you can save the drama for your llama!
Is using llama antibodies to fight COVID-19 the Greatest Idea Ever?
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