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The
discovery by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto
Prefectural University in western Japan could provide for
low-cost testing of the virus at home, they said in a press
release.
The scientists started by creating a mask filter coated with
ostrich antibodies targeting the novel coronavirus, based on
previous research showing the birds have strong resistance to
disease.
In a small study, test subjects wore the masks, and after eight
hours, the filters were removed and sprayed with a chemical that
glows under ultraviolet light if the virus is present. The
filters worn by people infected with COVID-19 glowed around the
nose and mouth areas.
The team hopes to further develop the masks so that they will
glow automatically, without special lighting, if the virus is
detected.
Tsukamoto, a veterinary professor and the president of the
university, has studied ostriches for years, looking for ways to
adapt their immunity power to fight bird flu, allergies, and
other diseases.
Tsukamoto told the Kyodo news agency he discovered his own
positivity for COVID-19 after he wore one of the special masks
and found that it glowed when checked. The diagnosis was
confirmed after a standard test.
(Reporting by Rikako Maruyama and Rocky Swift; Editing by
Michael Perry)
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