Materials and methods for inhibiting a viral infection, including a coronavirus infection
The subject invention provides compositions and methods for inhibiting viral infections. Preferred embodiments of the invention provide pharmaceutical compositions, and the methods of using the same, comprising a strain of Lactobacillus fermentum bacterium, or bioactive extracts thereof.
1. A method of inhibiting a viral infection in a subject in need thereof, wherein the method comprises administering to the subject in need of such viral inhibition, a virally inhibiting effective amount of a composition comprising an isolated bioactive Lactobacillus fermentum bacterial strain grown as biofilm, and/or comprising a virus-inhibiting extract of said biofilm, wherein the Lactobacillus fermentum strain is Lactobacillus fermentum Qi6 having Accession No. PTA-122195.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virus is an RNA virus.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the virus is coronavirus.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the coronavirus is SARS-CoV-2.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the coronavirus is SARS-CoV.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the coronavirus is MERS-CoV.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered via a parental, oral, sublingual, nasal or pulmonary route.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the parental route is selected from subcutaneous, intradermal, subdermal, intraperitoneal and intravenous injection.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered via nasal administration.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered in combination with one or more other antiviral therapies.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subject is a human.
12. The method of claim 1 , comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of the extract of the bacterial strain.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered via a ventilator.