Texas researcher helps create possible treatment for Ebola virus.

Byline: John Kirsch

HURST, Texas _ He's battled fierce Komodo dragons in Indonesia, searched for vampire bats in remote reaches of Mexico and collected leeches in the Amazon, all in the name of medicine.

But the saliva of the lowly hookworm is what may hold a key answer for Terry Fredeking of Bedford, Texas, after a 10-year quest.

This week, the British medical journal ``The Lancet'' reported that researchers have successfully treated the deadly Ebola virus in monkeys for the first time.

Hookworms provided by Fredeking's company, Antibody Systems, were used to make the drug for the Ebola study.

Fredeking, a self-styled ``expeditionary biologist,'' said he became concerned a decade ago that Ebola might be used as a terrorist weapon. His fears intensified after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he said.

Based on his experience in seeking cures made from natural substances rather than synthetic materials, Fredeking theorized that material taken from hookworms might successfully treat Ebola.

Fredeking was familiar with the anticoagulant properties of…