A peer-reviewed study published in the journal International Immunopharmacology found that egg yolk antibodies were effective in neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus and showed promising results for “prevention and control” of COVID-19.
The Nov 2020 study looked at whether egg yolk antibodies (IgY) can be used to fight coronavirus and analyzed the effectiveness of these antibodies against the virus and its different variations.
The study involved injecting hens with spike protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus once a week for 4 weeks. “Each hen was injected (intramuscular) with 150 μg of the recombinant spike protein under the wings, once a week for 4 weeks,” the study reads.
After that, the researchers removed the egg yolk antibodies and tested their strength. They found that the IgYs were good at stopping the virus from spreading and binding to human cells.
The study showed that the egg yolk antibodies made by the hens were effective in preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with a 75.86% success rate.
That’s compared to vaccine boosters from Pfizer and Moderna only preventing illness caused by recent coronavirus variants in roughly half of the people who had previously received as many as two to four doses of the original vaccine, according to a recent update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “The CDC said the updated vaccine” was “52% effective at preventing infections against BA.5 and 48% against XBB/XBB.1.5 among those aged 18-49. Effectiveness fell to 37% against BA.5 and 43% against XBB/XBB.1.5 among those aged 65 years and older,” Reuters reports.
The authors conclude that the egg yolk antibodies “showed significant neutralizing potency against SARS-CoV-2” in the lab, noting the need for “further interrogation in animal models.”
They even suggest that “aerosol or spray formulations” of egg yolk antibodies on the “respiratory tract, the oral cavity, and even the digestive tract” could “be a worthwhile strategy” that “might prevent the invasion of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the natural infection route.”
Read the full study below:
