Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri said on
Friday that bee venom could be used to deliver a fatal sting to human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) following the results of a new study.
According to The Huffington Post,
the study demonstrated that melittin, a toxin found in the venom, can
help smaller particles penetrate the protective envelope around HIV, and
subsequently destroy it.
“We are attacking an inherent physical property of HIV,” said
research instructor Dr. Joshua L. Hood, one of the study’s authors, in a
release. “Theoretically, there isn’t any way for the virus to adapt to
that. The virus has to have a protective coat, a double-layered membrane
that covers the virus.”
The study by Hood and his team, published in the journal Antiviral Therapy
on Thursday, said their findings indicate nanoparticles loaded with
melittin have the potential to be used against HIV infections that have
resisted treatment via medication, since they can be injected into a
patient’s body intravenously.
University officials said the study also pointed toward the
development of a vaginal gel that could stop the spread of HIV, the
precursor to AIDS.
“Our hope is that in places where HIV is running rampant, people
could use this gel as a preventive measure to stop the initial
infection,” Hood said.
Watch Newsy Science’s report on the findings by Hood’s team, posted on Saturday, below.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/09/study-shows-bee-venom-can-destroy-hiv/
