Crop chemical cures bird flu

Chinese scientists have found that a chemical, developed a decade ago to boost plants' metabolism, has been used by farmers to treat the disease with good effect since early 2002.

Chinese scientists have found that a type of crop chemical is highly effective in curing Avian Flu, a disease that baffled vets worldwide.

The chemical, developed by the Yunnan Provincial Ecology Agriculture Institute a decade ago using gene techniques to beef up the metabolism of plants, has been used by farmers to treat pig flu and chicken flu with a good effect since early 2002, Xinhua news agency reported.

After finding the chemical used by farmers extensively in treating the so-called "bird flu", the institute commissioned Guangdong Foshan Science and Technology College to carry out experiments.

Some 100 chicken aged from 18 to 25 days were divided into eight groups and received varying doses via injection or drops in the eyes and nose, while they were exposed to the avian flu virus.

Experiment outcome showed no chicks, which had received a moderate dose of 0.2 grams in four milli-litres, died.

Based on fermenting various local plants, the dose introduced the gene phenotype induction technique, which improves the plants' photosynthesis and metabolism, according to the director of the Yunnan Provincial Ecology Agriculture Institute, professor Na Zhongyuan.

It has been used in treating plant diseases, such as whitening leaves in paddy, stripe rusts, rotten roots in fruit trees and blights on cotton and potato.

Avian influenza, which has been studied ever since it cropped up 130 years ago, is still puzzling experts worldwide, and no effective prevention or remedy has so far been found.