Silver Nanoparticles Neutralize Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses
This is a recently unclassified presentation produced by the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction. It demonstrates the powerful neutralizing effects of silver nanoparticles against hemorrhagic fever viruses, including Arenavirus and Filovirus (i.e., Ebola).
One of the main tasks of the DOD’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency is to “anticipate and mitigate future threats long before they have a chance to harm the United States and our allies.” The presentation was given by researchers from the Applied Biotechnology Branch, 711th Human Performance Wing of the Air Force Research Laboratory. The researchers concluded that in vitro, silver nanoparticles neutralize hemorrhagic fever viruses inside the cells by decreasing S segment gene expression and concomitantly decreasing progeny virus production. They note that viral neutralization occurs during the early phases of viral replication, so silver nanoparticle treatment would have to be administered prior to viral infection or within the first two to four hours after initial virus exposure.
