This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Suara, R. O.
Right arrow Articles by Crowe, J. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Suara, R. O.
Right arrow Articles by Crowe, J. E., Jr.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, March 2004, p. 783-790, Vol. 48, No. 3
0066-4804/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.48.3.783-790.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Zinc Salts on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Replication

Rahaman O. Suara1 and James E. Crowe Jr.1,2*

Departments of Pediatrics,1 of Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 372322

Received 2 January 2003/ Returned for modification 14 April 2003/ Accepted 30 October 2003

Zinc supplementation decreases the morbidity of lower respiratory tract infection in pediatric patients in the developing world. We sought to determine if zinc mediates a specific inhibitory effect against the major cause of pediatric lower respiratory tract disease, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We determined the in vitro inhibitory effect of three zinc salts (zinc acetate, lactate, and sulfate) on the replication of RSV at various concentrations of 10 and 1 mM and 100 and 10 µM. The degree of inhibition of RSV replication was examined in the presence of zinc during preincubation, adsorption, or penetration and was compared with that caused by salts of other divalent cations. Complete inhibition of RSV plaque formation was observed at 1 and 10 mM, representing reductions that were >=106-fold. At the lowest concentration tested, 10 µM, we observed >=1,000-fold reductions in RSV yield when zinc was present during preincubation, adsorption, penetration, or egress of virus. The therapeutic indices, determined as ratios of 50% toxicity concentration to 50% inhibitory concentration, were 100, 150, and 120 for zinc acetate, zinc lactate, and zinc sulfate, respectively. The inhibitory effect of zinc salts on RSV was concentration dependent and was not observed with other salts containing divalent cations such as calcium, magnesium, and manganese. RSV plaque formation was prevented by pretreatment of HEp-2 cell monolayer cultures with zinc or by addition of zinc to methylcellulose overlay media after infection. The results of this study suggest that zinc mediates antiviral activity on RSV by altering the ability of the cell to support RSV replication.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, D-7235 MCN, 1161 21st Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37232-2581. Phone: (615) 343-8064. Fax: (615) 343-9723. Email: james.crowe{at}vanderbilt.edu.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, March 2004, p. 783-790, Vol. 48, No. 3
0066-4804/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.48.3.783-790.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Bourne, N., Stegall, R., Montano, R., Meador, M., Stanberry, L. R., Milligan, G. N. (2005). Efficacy and Toxicity of Zinc Salts as Candidate Topical Microbicides against Vaginal Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infection. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 1181-1183 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»