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Updated: Oct 26, 2025

Zika Virus Infectious Cell Culture System and the In Vitro Prophylactic Effect of Interferons
Published on: August 23, 2016
Would the interference phenomenon be applied as an alternative option for prophylaxis against COVID-19?
1>Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerged infectious disease characterized by a severe pneumonia leading to death in some cases. Currently, no licensed vaccines, drugs, or biologics have been confirmed to be absolutely effective in prophylaxis or treatment of this novel infection. Therefore, the treatment of this highly contagious disease remains a global concern and emergency. The viral interference is a competition phenomenon by which a primary virus infecting a cell prohibits the infection of the same cell by another (secondary) virus. The phenomenon has recently been indicated to be exploited for antiviral strategies. This strategy, particularly when there is no efficient drug against a viral infection, is of high importance. Some researchers have studied the application of the phenomenon among different viruses. In this paper, I discussed the possibility of the application of interference phenomenon in prophylaxis of the disease.
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