Inhibition of adenovirus replication in vitro by trifluridine.

At present, there is no effective chemotherapeutic agent available for the treatment of adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis. Recent evidence suggests that trifluridine (3FT) may effectively inhibit the replication of some adenovirus serotypes known to cause keratoconjunctivitis. The ability of 3FT to inhibit two reference strains of adenoviruses, type 8 and type 19, was examined using cell cultures. Two second-passage isolates of adenoviruses, identified as serotype 13, were also tested. Compared with untreated, virusinfected cell cultures, drug-treated cell cultures developed a lesser degree of cytopathic effect following infection with all three serotypes. Virus production was reduced in the drug-treated cell cultures: approximately tenfold for type 8, more than 1,000-fold for type 19, and 5,000-fold for the type 13 isolates.