<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Less than a week after Australia's first fatal case of Hendra virus in three years, Queensland researchers think they've discovered an antibody fragment that could neutralise the disease.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hendra and Nipah viruses are severe and often fatal infections that start in flying foxes and bats. They first spread to horses and then, in rare cases, to humans.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Queensland recently recorded its first death due to Hendra virus in three years when a horse died last Friday after contracting the disease.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-rosemeadow-alleged-rebels-bikie-charged-over-video-of-caged-cat-being-shot-at-point-blank/77953ee5-e08c-4f0d-8834-4740eef6c45e" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Rebels bikie charged over video of caged cat being shot at point blank</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now, researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) say they've discovered a nanobody occurring in Chilean alpacas, which could curb the illness.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's a bit of a eureka moment, cause it was the first time a nanobody was developed against these viruses," UQ researcher Dr Ariel Isaacs said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"These species produce nanobodies, which are very small and compact antibodies, and they're able to bind crevasses and pockets of viruses that are otherwise inaccessible to antibodies.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/hendra-virus-researchers-find-nanobody-in-alpacas-that-could-neutralise-deadly-disease/7ab54315-8216-4fe3-a792-b0a28ebc477f" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This nanobody in particular came from an alpaca named Pedro."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The nanobody, named DS90, is being tested in combination with an antibody therapy invented at the UQ.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The compound attaches itself to the virus protein, burrowing in and limiting its movement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This prevents the disease from growing and causing more damage.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/chinese-man-charged-in-texas-with-stealing-covid19-research-from-us-colleges/8464780a-be26-46f0-b188-e91c1da1ef4c" target="_blank"><strong><span>Chinese man charged in Texas with stealing COVID-19 research from US colleges</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The discovery could also lead to a vaccine to protect humans against the disease, which does not exist yet.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If the first phase of the trial is successful, it would progress to a phase two, where "it's given to people at risk of contracting these diseases", Isaacs said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Biosecurity Queensland acting chief veterinary officer Dr Fiona Thompson said the virus can have "devastating" impacts.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It attacks the lungs and brain, which quickly shuts down vital organs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"What we tend to see is a rapid deterioration, that can be over a 24 to 48 hour period," Thompson said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first case was identified in Queensland in 1994 - over 90 horses have died since then, including the most recent death.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are confident with our tracing and exposure, we are working very closely with this horse owner that it's contained to one property," Thompson said.</span></div></div>