FIG. 1.

Oral administration of l-FMAU decreases viral DNA synthesis in the livers of experimentally infected ducklings but does not clear viral CCC DNA. Protein-bound (A) and protein-free (B) viral DNAs were extracted from the livers of experimentally infected birds and were subjected to Southern blot analysis at the cessation of therapy. Liver samples from four control animals, four animals that received l-FMAU at 20 mg/kg twice a day, per os, for 4 days, and four animals that were treated with ddC at 50 mg/kg twice a day, per os, for 4 days were available for analysis. The positions of relaxed circular (RC), linear (L), CCC, and single-stranded (SS) DNAs are indicated, as are the therapeutic protocols.