ANTIVIRAL STUDIES OF FELINE INFECTIOUS PERITONITIS VIRUS IN-VITRO

Sixteen compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit the replica tion in vitro of feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), a coronav irus that causes a lethal, immunologically mediated illness in domesti c and exotic cats. Six of the compounds, when incubated with cells and titrations of the virus, were found to reduce the virus titres by 0.4 01 to 0.833 log(10) (P<0.05), using the cytopathic effect as endpoint. Further inhibition studies were performed to determine the 50 per cen t effective dose (ED50) levels for these six compounds. Selectivity in dices (50 per cent cytotoxic dose [CD50]/ED50) provided the following order of antiviral activity: pyrazofurin > 6-azauridine > 3-deazaguano sine > hygromycin B > fusidic acid > dipyridamole. Compounds which had no statistically significant effect on FIPV in the same assay were ca ffeic acid, carbodine, 3-deazauridine, 5-fluoroorotic acid, 5-fluorour acil, D(+)glucosamine, indomethacin, D-penicillamine, rhodanine and ta urine.