It’s a common antibiotic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought viral respiratory infections into sharp focus, prompting efforts to prevent and treat them effectively.
While the availability of vaccines has reduced the severity of COVID-19, effective treatments for viral respiratory infections remain limited. Currently, medical professionals rely on antivirals, monoclonal antibodies, and convalescent plasma to combat severe cases.
A recent study led by Yale researchers offers promising insights into a potential treatment approach using a readily available antibiotic, neomycin. Applied nasally, neomycin triggered a robust immune response in mice and hamsters, providing protection against both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A infections. Moreover, a small human trial using a common nasal ointment containing neomycin—Neosporin—showed similar immune enhancement.
Published in PNAS, the study has garnered attention from experts like William Schaffner, MD, who described it as “provocative” and emphasized the urgent need for improved prevention and treatment strategies for respiratory infections.
Neomycin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic commonly used orally or topically, demonstrated promising results in stimulating antiviral immunity in animal models. Mice treated with neomycin exhibited elevated levels of interferon-stimulated gene expression, effectively countering viral replication and mitigating infection symptoms.
Further experiments involving neomycin-treated mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A strains revealed reduced viral replication and increased survival rates compared to control groups. Similarly, neomycin-treated hamsters exposed to SARS-CoV-2-infected counterparts showed lower infection rates.
Jonathan Stoye, PhD, a virologist at the Francis Crick Institute, highlighted the potential of immune stimulation for virus prevention. However, Schaffner cautioned that findings in rodents may not directly translate to human applications, emphasizing the need for further research.
Despite the early-stage nature of the study, its findings suggest that neomycin holds promise as a potential antiviral agent for respiratory infections. Continued investigation is essential to determine its efficacy and safety in human trials, marking the beginning of a potentially transformative journey in combating viral respiratory illnesses.
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