It is vital to prepare for a new flu pandemic. An effective, conventional antibody-producing vaccine requires a minimum of 6 to 12 months for its preparation after the emergence and identification of a new virus. Such a vaccine may lose its potency a few months later due to viral mutations, as this happens every year with the seasonal common cold virus. In contrast, cellular immunity recognizes viral antigens in the influenza virus that are less prone to variation. Indeed, cellular and humoral immunity seem to differ not only in their mode of action and the effector cells they use, but also in the antigen target they chose in order to destroy the virus. They are different and complementary. Hence our proposal to exploit the CMI pathway, using TF.

Transfer factor has been used successfully for treating and preventing viral infections. Although its preventative potential has not been fully explored, several publications cited in our article suggest that this type of immunity, transmitted by TF, may be as effective for conferring protection as humoral immunity that produces antibodies.  For instance, in 1980, U.S. physicians using a virus-specific TF were able to protect leukaemic children from the varicella virus infection to which they are prone.

Testing the transfer factor hypothesis against the avian flu virus in an animal model is urgently needed, just as it is urgent to unravel the structure of the molecules responsible for its activity.

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