Researchers reveal the mystery of the "killer" nipah virus

Researchers at Harvard University Faculty of Medicine and Boston University Faculty of Medicine in the United States have managed to draw a map of an important component of the NIPAH virus, according to a study published in the ‘Cell’ Patrol. The Nipah virus is transmitted by bats, and this has caused the spread of the disease between people almost annually since its discovery in 1999. The researchers said this step brings them closer to developing the necessary treatments to confront this virus. Until now, there are no vaccines to prevent “nipah” or relieve its severity, nor are there effective treatments other than supportive care. The Nipah virus sends the nipah virus from bats to pigs and humans, and can also be transmitted by polluted foods, or directly from person to person, through the spraying due to cough. The World Health Organization has classified the virus as a priority disease and requires urgent research to develop prevention and treatment strategies. The researchers pointed out that the virus has the ability to cause a pandemic, as it can be transmitted by spraying and breathing secretions, and there is proof that some of the injured who have mild symptoms can also transmit the virus. In severe cases, this can lead to severe respiratory diseases and encephalitis, which cause devastating neurological disorders and can lead to death. It is estimated that the virus leads to a life between 40% to 75% of the injured, compared to the ‘Ebola’ virus, which kills between 25 and 90% of the injured in previous outbreaks. In this study, the researchers focused on a portion of the virus mechanism, known as the ‘Polimerz complex’, a group of proteins using the virus to copy and distribute the genetic material. The study presented a detailed three -dimensional image of the “polymerase” virus and its basic features, emphasizing how the virus is doubled in the hosts. ‘Great effect’ The researchers emphasized that this first step towards understanding the virus mechanism is considered decisive, with the need to do more research to understand how the polymerase works. The lead author of the study, Rachel verses, a researcher at the University of Boston, said it understood how to organize the polymerase to activate and disrupt the enzymatic activities needed for the breeding of the virus “will have a significant impact.” The study contributed to providing a database that can be used in the design of treatments, as the new understanding of the polymerase can help determine its functional properties that can be targeted with medication. The researchers said they used an electronic microscope to study the polymerase structure, and they performed mutations to study how it affects the polymerase function. The researchers said they hope that these results will encourage more research on this deadly virus.