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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, January 1998, p. 170-172, Vol. 42, No. 1
Rega Institute for Medical Research,
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
Received 27 May 1997/Returned for modification 16 September
1997/Accepted 20 October 1997
We have evaluated the susceptibility of the murine gamma
herpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) to a variety of antiviral agents. The acyclic nucleoside phosphonate analogs cidofovir
[(S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine], (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine (HPMPA),
and adefovir [9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)adenine] efficiently
inhibited the replication of the virus in Vero cells (50% effective
concentrations [EC50s], 0.008, 0.06, and 2.2 µg/ml,
respectively). Acyclovir, ganciclovir, and brivudin
[(E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine] had equipotent
activities (EC50s, 1.5 to 8 µg/ml), whereas foscarnet and
penciclovir were less effective (EC50s, 23 and
0066-4804/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
In Vitro and In Vivo Inhibition of Murine Gamma
Herpesvirus 68 Replication by Selected Antiviral Agents
30
µg/ml, respectively). The novel N-7-substituted nucleoside analog
S2242 [7-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl)purine] inhibited MHV-68
replication by 50% at 0.2 µg/ml. The susceptibilities of MHV-68 and
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to cidofovir, HPMPA, adefovir, and acyclovir
were found to be comparable. However, for penciclovir, ganciclovir, brivudin, and S2242, major differences in the sensitivity of MHV-68 and
EBV were observed, suggesting that MHV-68 is not always an optimal
surrogate for the study of antiviral strategies for EBV. When evaluated
with a model for lethal MHV-68 infections in mice with severe combined
immunodeficiency, cidofovir proved to be very efficient in protecting
against virus-induced mortality (100% survival at 50 days
postinfection), whereas acyclovir, brivudin, and adefovir had little or
no effect.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Rega Institute
for Medical Research, K.U. Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000
Leuven, Belgium. Phone: 32 16 337353. Fax: 32 16 337340. E-mail:
Johan.Neyts{at}rega.kuleuven.ac.be.
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