Broad spectrum antiviral drug inhibits coronaviruses infection

Researchers have found that corona viruses, an RNA virus cause common cold and pneumonia. These viruses can jump between animal and human hosts. In recent years, coronaviruses have caused lethal outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in many continents. There is no retroviral drug has been approved to treat these infections.

Previous studies showed that the drug inhibits strains of SARS and MERS coronaviruses that infect human airways and the lower respiratory tract, as well as infection by the Ebola virus. The latest innovations revealed that the drug can also inhibit murine hepatitis virus, which is related to several human coronaviruses that cause respiratory tract infections sometimes severe acute respiratory syndrome. 

GS-5734 drug is used in the treatment of infections caused by coronaviruses, including epidemic strains, as well as those that are jump from an animal host to a human in the future. Because of its multiple activities this drug is referred as broad spectrum antiviral drug.  GS-5734 is a nucleoside analog, a class of drugs that inhibit the replication of the virus. The scientists tested the drug on mini models of human lungs consisting of epithelial cells, collected from lung transplants.

Bacteriology 2018 is a medium to discuss about these infectious diseases and about that broad spectrum drugs. It also provides an open field to represent the views of delegates, researchers in the production of vaccine to cure this infection in future.