CHINESE and American scientists have jointly developed a new antibody targeting the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, which has killed 19 and infected 154 people in South Korea as of yesterday.

    Fudan University, which worked with the U.S. National Institute of Health to develop the antibody, said Monday that tests on animals had seen “very effective” results.

    Jiang Shibo, who led the research team at Fudan, said the m336 antibody could neutralize the MERS virus more effectively than other antibodies.

    The m336 antibody treatment proved more effective when coupled with a specific type of polypeptide, according to Jiang.

    He also said that the polypeptide could theoretically be used as a nasal spray as a preventive measure for high-risk groups such as medical staff.

    Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert in Guangdong, called for immediate clinical trials.

    The South Korean health ministry said yesterday that it is confident the MERS outbreak in South Korea will end in late June unless a “super spreader” emerges. A super spreader is a person who infects many others.

    Kwon Jun-wook, director general of the health ministry’s public health policy, held a press conference on Monday with foreign correspondents in Seoul, where he said that if no infection clusters are found by June 27, the MERS outbreak could be viewed as coming to an end.

    A 65-year-old German man died June 6 of complications from a MERS infection contracted during a trip to the Arabian Peninsula in February, the health ministry of Lower Saxony state in Germany said yesterday.

    The South Korean businessman who entered China while infected with MERS is recovering while in quarantine in a Guangdong hospital, according to the provincial center for disease control and prevention Monday.

    The 44-year-old man, identified as Kim, has not had a fever for 10 days, the CDC said. Kim remains in observation because he is coughing and his bodily waste is tested positive for the virus.

    All 75 people who had close contact with Kim have been dismissed from isolation.

    “We are lucky so far, because Kim did not develop a cough until he was quarantined, which reduced the chance of infecting others,” said Song Tie, an expert with the CDC.

    An outbreak of the virus in Guangdong is still possible, the CDC cautioned.

    (SD-Agencies)