The drug is effective against two deadly and highly infectious viruses - Hendra and Nipah, both potential bioterror threats.
Hendra and Nipah viruses are related, newly recognized zoonotic viruses that can spread from their natural reservoir in fruit bats to larger animals, including pigs, horses and humans, Science Daily News reported.
Infection often leads to a fatal encephalitis, and there is currently no effective treatment against these illnesses.
Researchers at Weill Cornell manipulated a peptide (protein) related to a third pathogen, parainfluenza virus, that appeared to block "pseudo" Hendra and Nipah viruses from entering and infecting human cells.
Health officials were recently concerned after the Nipah virus first emerged in pigs and then humans living in Southeast Asia. Cases of the Hendra virus also began to show up in horses and their human handlers in Australia.
