Effects of Ribavirin on Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus In Vitro

• DOI: 10.7883/yoken.67.423
• Publication Date: 2014-11-18T23:18:01Z
• Authors: Masayuki Shimojima; Shuetsu Fukushi; Hideki Tani; Tomoki Yoshikawa; Aiko Fukuma; Satoshi Taniguchi; Yuto Suda; Ken Maeda; Toru Takahashi; Shigeru Morikawa; Masayuki Saijo
• Keywords: Phlebovirus; Vero cell; Case fatality rate

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a disease high case fatality rate that caused by infection the recently identified tick-borne SFTS virus (SFTSV), for which there are no specific countermeasures. We examined effects of ribavirin and mizoribine, nucleoside analogue drugs broad antiviral activities, on SFTSV proliferation in vitro. When 3 cell lines were treated these before during Chinese strain, 99% effective concentrations (EC99) 19–64 μg/ml (78–262 μM); contrast, EC99 mizoribine was >500 (1,929 μM). Similar levels inhibitory observed 4 Japanese strains. However, when Vero cells days after inoculation, effect dramatically decreased, indicating did not effectively reduce production pre-infected cells. These results suggest could be used as post-exposure prophylaxis prevention SFTS.