Exam 4: Antivirals Flashcards
Are antivirals used to treat herpesvirus infections efficacious against active infections, latent infections, or both?
Only effective against actively replicating viruses
Due to low oral bioavailability and side-effects of acyclovir, what antiherpes drugs are instead used in small animals?
Famciclovir
Due to low oral bioavailability and side-effects of acyclovir, what antiherpes drugs are instead used in horses?
Valacyclovir
What are the 3 opthalmic antiherpes drugs?
Trifluridine
Idoxuridine
Cidofovir
How is trifluridine tolerated and what is the frequency of application required?
Stings, may not be well tolerated
Topically q4-6 hours
How is idoxuridine tolerated and what is the frequency of application required?
Usually well tolerated
Topically q4-6 hours
What is the frequency of application required for cidofovir?
Topically q12 hours
How is oral lysine supplementation proposed to work in decreasing the number of outbreaks and severity of herpesvirus infections in cats?
It is hypothesized to work as an active competitive inhibitor of arginine during assembly of the viral nucleocapsid
What is the relative safety and efficacy of oral lysine supplementation?
It is very safe and inexpensive, but the efficacy is questionable
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is effective on what 2 types of viruses?
Influenza and parainfluenza
What are the general recommendations on the use of Oseltamivir to treat canine influenza?
It is not recommended for use in vet med for influenza. There has been little research to prove it’s effective and there are concerns with promoting drug resistance
What evidence supports or refutes the use of Osletamivir in canine parvovirus infections?
Use of oseltamivir in canine parvo did not result in significant decrease in hospitalization time, treatment needed, clinical scores, morbiditiy, or mortality
What species types of recombinant interferon are available in the USA versus Europe?
USA: human recombinant IFN-α, IFN-β, IFN-γ
Europe: recombinant feline IFN-ω
What is the major limitation of the use of human recombinant interferon in animals?
When given parenterally to cats, human IFN-α becomes ineffective after 3-7 weeks due to the development of neutralizing antibodies
What is the most common CBC side effect when using zidovudine (AZT) in cats?
Bone marrow suppression is common, but may be tolerable. Monitor CBC and discontinue if PCV <20%
