Had Your Flu Jab Yet?

The one-L lama, he's a priest
The two-L llama, he's a beast
But I will bet a silk pajama
There isn't any three-L llama!

I have always been fond of this little Ogden Nash poem* [the poet is from the US, so I respect his spelling of the p-word]
I found a particularly heart-warming little story on the BBC News website last week, about scientists at the Scripps Institute in California, who have made an amazing discovery about the blood of the llama[that's the beast not the priest]
Every winter, people across the world become ill, and some die, from various strains of influenza. And scientists seek to find an inoculation to prevent people catching the virus [the word actually comes from the Italian for 'epidemic']  But this virus is a shape-shifter, constantly mutating, in ways which evade our immune systems. However South American llamas [which are bigger than their cousins, the alpacas, less timid, and with coarser coats - in case you were wondering] may have the answer. 

Proteins stick out from the surface of the virus, and antibodies in our blood bind to the tips of these proteins. The clever viruses are constantly changing those tips, so the antibodies are ineffective. Research shows that llama blood contains antibodies which are much smaller than those in human blood - so they can burrow deeper and affect the part of the virus which are not mutating.
Scientists have found antibodies in the llama blood which protected against 59 out of 60 flu strains [and the 60th didn't affect humans anyway] Furthermore they have been able to synthesise these antibodies in the lab.
"The goals is to find something which works from season to season, and  protect you from pandemics should they emerge" said Professor Ian Wilson. It's all in the early stages at the moment, but offers hope for future winters. 
I think is is quite amazing that this discovery has been made- who started the research? what prompted it? Is there less flu in Peru?
And how wonderful that the answer appears to lie within Creation itself. It makes you wonder how many other cures for our ills have already been lost along the path of extinction - killing off some animals may expedite the demise of some humans.

*Ogden Nash was contacted by a Firefighter from New York who said that there was a classification system for the size of fires. Nash appended this footnote to his poem...
"The author's attention has been drawn to a type of conflagration known as a three-alarmer. Pooh"