Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Nitazoxanide helps protect cats from feline calicivirus infection
By Cui, Zhanding et al.·Published in Antiviral research·2020·College of Animal Science and Technology, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nitazoxanide protects cats from feline calicivirus infection and acts synergistically with mizoribine in vitro.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats infected with feline calicivirus (FCV), which causes serious respiratory and oral issues, were treated with nitazoxanide and mizoribine to see if these medications could help. The results showed that nitazoxanide significantly reduced the symptoms of the infection, lowered the amount of virus in the cats' lungs and trachea, and decreased how much virus they spread. This suggests that nitazoxanide, especially when used with mizoribine, could be an effective treatment for FCV infections in cats.
People also search for: cat calicivirus treatment · nitazoxanide for cats · feline respiratory infection medication
Abstract
Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a highly contagious pathogen that causes acute upper respiratory infections and oral disease in cats, thus seriously endangering feline health. Recently, there have been outbreaks of particularly virulent variant strains of FCV, which can cause both acute symptoms and fatal systemic disease. The discovery of effective antiviral agents to treat FCV infection is, therefore, gradually assuming increased importance. In this study, we showed that both nitazoxanide and mizoribine had antiviral activity in F81 cells infected with different strains of FCV and also demonstrated a synergistic effect between the two drugs. Experiments in cats challenged with FCV showed that nitazoxanide significantly reduced the clinical symptoms of FCV infection, reduced viral load in the trachea and lungs, and reduced viral shedding. Our results showed that nitazoxanide and mizoribine could potentially be used as therapeutic agents to treat FCV infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32579897/