Shanghai Daily news

An enzyme that can kill bacteria and viruses, including the bird flu virus, is developed in the city and poultry feed containing the added enzyme has already been sold.

The feed will be available in larger quantities soon, said officials from Shanghai Shenli Scientific Industrial Trade Co, which produces the enzyme and sells it as a feed additive.

Several local chicken houses using it in small amounts have reported good results, the company revealed yesterday.

According to the Shanghai Chemical Poisonousness Inspection Institute, the anti-bacteria enzyme is safe and has no negative side effects.

After a two-year study since 2000, experts extracted elements from animals and egg white to compose the enzyme with gene modification technology.

"The enzyme can defend against bacteria and viruses, as well as improve the immune system in poultry," said Shen Yanping, a returned overseas veterinarian, who jointly developed the enzyme with experts from Shanghai University. "Tests found that it is effective in 11 types of common bacteria and can cure 85 percent of common ailments in poultry's respiratory and digestive systems."

After developing the enzyme, experts introduced it into feedstuff and were successful at the end of last year. The city government has already honored the feed as a high-tech achievement industrialization project.

According to Shen, the enzyme can fight against ordinary bird flu, while it has yet to undergo tests for the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 - the cause for the present bird flu outbreak in Asia.

"As soon as we get the virus strain, we will launch more tests," he said. "So far, local chicken houses using our feed haven't found any bird flu case."