Effect of ribavirin and tributylribavirin on argentine hemorrhagic fever (Junin virus) in guinea pigs.

Subcutaneous injections of ribavirin into guinea pigs infected intraperitoneally or intracerebrally with Junin virus significantly increased the mean time to death but did not enhance survival of the animals. We found similar results with tributylribavirin. Virus replication was delayed, but not prevented, in ribavirin-treated infected guinea pigs. The animals usually died with high virus titers in their brains and frequently were paralyzed.