Antiviral efficacy of favipiravir against canine distemper virus infection in vitro.
BACKGROUND
Canine distemper (CD) is an acute infectious disease with high morbidity rates caused by a highly contagious pathogen (Canine Morbillivirus, also known as canine distemper virus, CDV). CDV can infect a broad range of carnivores resulting in complex clinical signs. Currently, there is no effective method to treat for CDV infections. Favipiravir (T-705), a pyrazine derivative, was shown to be an effective antiviral drug against RNA viruses, acting on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). However, whether the T-705 has antiviral effects following CDV infection is unclear. Here, we investigated the antiviral effect of T-705 against CDV-3 and CDV-11 strains in Vero and DH82 cell lines.


RESULTS
Our data demonstrated that T-705 significantly inhibited the replication of CDV-3 and CDV-11 in both Vero and DH82 cells at different concentrations, ranging from 2.441 μg/ml to 1250 μg/ml. Additionally, T-705 exhibited efficacious antiviral effects when administered at different time points after virus infection. Cytotoxicity tests showed a slight decline in viability in Vero cells after T-705 treatment, and no apparent cytotoxicity was detected in T-705 treated DH82 cells. Comparison of anti-CDV polyclonal serum only inhibition of CDV in supernatant, T-705 directly inhibited viral replication in cells, and indirectly reduced the amount of virions in supernatant. The combination application of T-705 and anti-CDV polyclonal serum exhibited a rapid and robust inhibition against virions in supernatant and virus replication in cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data strongly indicated that T-705 effectively inhibited viral replication following CDV infection in vitro, and could be a potential candidate for treatment for CD.
['Xue|Xianghong|X|', 'Zhu|Yelei|Y|', 'Yan|Lina|L|', 'Wong|Gary|G|', 'Sun|Peilu|P|', 'Zheng|Xuexing|X|', 'Xia|Xianzhu|X|']
D000577:Amides D000818:Animals D000998:Antiviral Agents D002460:Cell Line D002470:Cell Survival D004217:Distemper Virus, Canine D011719:Pyrazines
Antivirals Favipiravir Canine distemper Canine distemper virus