Researchers are a step closer to developing a treatment for the deadly Nipah virus, a disease transmitted by fruit bats that has a high mortality rate. The disease is most common in Asia and South Asia. Now, a team of U.S. university and government researchers has discovered an antibody in uninfected individuals that fights the virus. They report their findings last week in Science Translational Medicine. Lead researcher Thomas Geisbert of UTMB says the human monoclonal antibody cured the test animals even as many as five days after the infection had set in. Otherwise, they would have died within eight to 10 days. “We give them the antibody and they are completely protected against Nipah. So, that's really a unique aspect and really exciting for us,” said Geisbert. If developed as a therapy for people, that would give public health officials enough time to identify an outbreak and begin treatment. The news continues to receive widespread coverage, also appearing in RedOrbit and ScienceDaily.