Reevaluation of the efficacy of favipiravir against rabies virus using in vivo imaging analysis.

Reevaluation of the efficacy of favipiravir against rabies virus using in vivo imaging analysis. Antiviral Res. 2019 Oct 28;:104641 Authors: Yamada K, Noguchi K, Kimitsuki K, Kaimori R, Saito N, Komeno T, Nakajima N, Furuta Y, Nishizono A Abstract Rabies virus (RABV) is a highly neurotropic virus and the causative agent of rabies, an encephalitis with an almost 100% case-fatality rate that remains incurable after the onset of symptoms. Favipiravir (T-705), a broad-spectrum antiviral drug against RNA viruses, has been shown to be effective against RABV in vitro but ineffective in vivo. We hypothesized that favipiravir is effective in infected mice when RABV replicates in the peripheral tissues/nerves but not after virus neuroinvasion. We attempted to clarify this point in this study using in vivo bioluminescence imaging. We generated a recombinant RABV from the field isolate 1088, which expressed red firefly luciferase (1088/RFLuc). This allowed semiquantitative detection and monitoring of primary replication at the inoculation site and viral spread in the central nervous system (CNS) in the same mice. Bioluminescence imaging revealed that favipiravir (300 mg/kg/day) treatment commencing 1 h after intramuscular inoculation of RABV efficiently suppressed viral replication at the inoculation site and the subsequent replication in the CNS. However, virus replication in the CNS was not inhibited when the treatment began 2 days after i...
Source: Antiviral Research - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Antiviral Res Source Type: research