摘要：最近禽流感病毒在中国快速蔓延，对养鸡业造成了极大威胁，并已显示病毒可在鸡与人或鸡与其他哺乳动物间传播。在《干扰素与细胞激活素研究杂志》（Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research）发表的一篇文章中，中国研究者指出，无论是用于预防或是治疗，口服鸡α-干扰素均可明显降低禽流感病毒水平。《干扰素与细胞激活素研究杂志》是Mary Ann Liebert, Inc出版的一本经过同行评鉴的期刊。
鸡是禽流感病毒（AIV）等流行性禽类病毒的宿主，此类病毒可传播给人类等哺乳动物。AIV可使鸡患上轻至重度呼吸性疾病。α-干扰素是一种细胞因子，细胞因子由免疫细胞产生，具有诱导抗病毒免疫的作用。
来自中国科学院（北京）和山东省农业科学院（济南）的孟姗姗等人发表了一项研究结果，在7日龄或33日龄健康雏鸡暴露于AIV之前或之后，研究者给雏鸡喂饲鸡α-干扰素，然后检测呼吸道内的病毒水平，比较其用药前后的变化。在题为“口服重组鸡干扰素-α抑制H9N2禽流感病毒复制的活体研究（Recombinant Chicken Interferon-α Inhibits H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus Replication In Vivo by Oral Administration）”的文章中，作者报道了他们的研究结果。
“养禽业易受携带禽流感病毒等病原病毒的鸟类感染的威胁。该研究表明，干扰素可用于治疗已感染的病鸡，同时也可预防周围的健康鸡感染病毒。此外，口服给药不仅方便、成本低廉，而且有效。” Ganes C. Sen博士说。他是克利夫兰医学中心分子遗传学科的主任及《干扰素与细胞激活素研究杂志》的联合主编。
生物探索推荐英文原文报道：
Oral Interferon May Prevent and Control Avian Influenza Virus Infection
Avian influenza virus is a threat to the commercial chicken industry and, with its recent rapid spread across China, has also shown the ability for transmission from chickens to humans and other mammals. In an article in Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Chinese researchers report that oral chicken interferon-alpha may significantly reduce influenza virus levels when given either preventively or therapeutically.
Chickens can serve as a reservoir for epidemic avian viruses such as avian influenza virus (AIV), which can then be transmitted to mammals such as humans. AIV causes mild to severe respiratory illness in chickens. Interferon-alpha is a cytokine, a chemical produced by immune cells that has a role in inducing antiviral immunity.
Shanshan Meng and colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, People's Republic of China, present the results of a study in which healthy chicks 7 or 33 days old were given chicken interferon-alpha either before or after exposure to AIV. The level of virus in their respiratory tracts was then measured and compared. The authors report their findings in the article "Recombinant Chicken Interferon-α Inhibits H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus Replication In Vivo by Oral Administration."
"The poultry industry is vulnerable to infection of the birds by pathogenic viruses such as avian influenza virus. This study shows that interferon can be used for both treating the infected chickens as well as protecting the neighboring uninfected ones; moreover oral administration, which is convenient and inexpensive, is effective," says Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Co-Editor in Chief of Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research
