'Silver bullet' could finally beat common cold

A ‘silver bullet’ against the common cold and other illnesses is being developed by scientists.

Tests show that arming bacteria with minute studs of silver endows them with the ability to combat viruses.

Norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, is unable to cause infections after coming into contact with the silver-impregnated bacteria.

Researchers believe the same technique could be used to ward off other viruses, including those which cause flu and the common cold.

Belgian professor Willy Verstraete discovered a way of ‘studding’ harmless bacteria often found in probiotic yoghurts with nanoparticles of silver, each thinner than a human hair.

Sprayed up the nose or rubbed into the hands, the silver-studded bacteria stop any viruses that cross their path from infecting cells.

As viruses need to hijack a cell’s internal machinery to live and breed, barring them entry leads to their death.

The common cold wreaks havoc among all age groups but the huge number of different viruses behind the symptoms means that a cure has, so far, eluded scientists.

via 'Silver bullet' could finally beat common cold | Mail Online.

 

... He told scientists in London: "There are concerns about what harm it might cause to human health so we have attached the silver nanoparticles to the surface of a bacterium.

"It means the particles remain small but they are not free to roam around the body."

Large amounts of silver can damage the liver, kidneys and lungs.

via Mirror UK