Cats could soon give dogs a run for their money for the title of man’s best friend after news came out that a coronavirus vaccine used on cats could be given to humans to fight COVID-19.
As Forbes puts it:
“A drug used to treat coronavirus infections in cats may soon be used to treat Covid-19 in humans, after researchers showed the drug works against the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus in laboratory experiments.
‘In just two months, our results have shown that the drug is effective at inhibiting viral replication in cells with SARS-CoV-2,’ said Joanne Lemieux, a professor of biochemistry in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta in Canada.
The research published in Nature Communications looks at two very similar drugs called GC373 and GC376. Both work by inhibiting proteases, a type of enzyme widely found in several types of living thing including viruses and humans. Proteases work by breaking down proteins into smaller building blocks. Protease inhibitors stop, or slow down this process, limiting replication in some viruses. Several protease inhibitors are FDA-approved for treating HIV and researchers are hoping that they might work in a similar way on the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus.”
The article further clarifies that:
“The coronavirus infection in cats that the drug has shown to be effective at treating isn’t the same as Covid-19 in humans. In cats the infection is often mild, but sometimes causes peritonitis, an abdominal infection which can be fatal. However, the researchers also looked at exactly how the drugs bind to the SARS-CoV2 protease and stop the virus from replicating, giving them confidence that the drug has a good chance of working in humans too.”
And here I thought that cats were only good for making funny videos.
![Cats Can Spread COVID-19 Coronavirus Infection to Other Cats](https://scitechdaily.com/images/Cat-Wearing-COVID-19-Mask.jpg)
Leave a comment