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Cod Enzyme Kills Bird Flu

Posted by samzenpus on from the fish-your-flu-away dept.

Jon Golden writes "An Icelandic cod enzyme might be the cure for bird flu. A recent experiment, which the Icelandic company Ensímtaekni hf. took part in, indicates that in five minutes, the isolated fish enzyme killed 99 percent of H5N1 viruses. The killer enzyme, called penzim, was extracted from the intestines of cod by Ensímtaekni and is currently being developed for beauty products and various types of medicine. The experiment on the H5N1 virus was conducted in London. CEO of Ensímtaekni and biochemist Jón Bragi Bjarnason said he is very excited about the results of the bird flu experiment. "People have feared that the bird flu virus will change into a human flu virus and now we have a likely cure in case that happens." Bjarnason also believes that penzim might prove a cure for common flu and cold, eczema in children and arthritis."

5 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. Act of Cod? by halovaa · · Score: 5, Funny

    What God giveth, Cod taketh away

  2. The amazing Cod by Giant+Ape+Skeleton · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cod...is there anything they can't do?

    --
    The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
  3. Birds/Fish by Nux'd · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nice one nature..

    Give the ability to fight off bird flu to an animal most unlikely to encounter a bird.

    Lucky fishes..

  4. Re:Cure? by megaditto · · Score: 5, Funny
    Since this sounds too good to be true, I think it has to be taken with a grain of salt.

    Well, a 1-in-10 dilution of chlorine-based household bleach will kill 100% of the germs. But what's good for treating biohazard might not be good for treating children.

    I know it's Troll Wednesday, but what the hell...
    --
    Obama likes poor people so much, he wants to make more of them.
  5. Well that explains it by mgabrys_sf · · Score: 5, Funny

    Probably why I've never seen a Cod sneeze before.