Skip to main content
PMC home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1988 Sep;32(9):1304–1309. doi: 10.1128/aac.32.9.1304

Ribavirin prophylaxis and therapy for experimental argentine hemorrhagic fever.

K T McKee Jr 1, J W Huggins 1, C J Trahan 1, B G Mahlandt 1
PMCID: PMC175856  PMID: 2848441

Abstract

Junin virus-infected rhesus macaques received prophylactic and therapeutic ribavirin to assess the potential of this drug for treating humans with Argentine hemorrhagic fever. When ribavirin was administered intramuscularly at the time of experimental infection with the lethal P3790 strain of Junin virus, all animals were protected from clinical disease. A delay in the initiation of therapy until after the onset of illness resulted in improvement and resolution of systemic signs of disease; however, survivors subsequently developed a late-onset central nervous system infection which was fatal in two of three animals. Side effects of ribavirin included thrombocytosis and severe anemia, both of which resolved promptly on withdrawal of drug therapy. Results of this study suggest that ribavirin may prove useful in treating humans with Argentine hemorrhagic fever.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Canonico P. G., Kastello M. D., Cosgriff T. M., Donovan J. C., Ross P. E., Spears C. T., Stephen E. L. Hematological and bone marrow effects of ribavirin in rhesus monkeys. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1984 Jun 30;74(2):163–172. doi: 10.1016/0041-008x(84)90139-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Enria D. A., Briggiler A. M., Fernandez N. J., Levis S. C., Maiztegui J. I. Importance of dose of neutralising antibodies in treatment of Argentine haemorrhagic fever with immune plasma. Lancet. 1984 Aug 4;2(8397):255–256. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)90299-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ferrara E. A., Oishi J. S., Wannemacher R. W., Jr, Stephen E. L. Plasma disappearance, urine excretion, and tissue distribution of ribavirin in rats and rhesus monkeys. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1981 Jun;19(6):1042–1049. doi: 10.1128/aac.19.6.1042. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. González P. H., Laguens R. P., Frigerio M. J., Calello M. A., Weissenbacher M. C. Junin virus infection of Callithrix jacchus: pathologic features. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1983 Mar;32(2):417–423. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1983.32.417. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Green D. E., Mahlandt B. G., McKee K. T., Jr Experimental Argentine hemorrhagic fever in rhesus macaques: virus-specific variations in pathology. J Med Virol. 1987 Jun;22(2):113–133. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890220203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jahrling P. B., Hesse R. A., Eddy G. A., Johnson K. M., Callis R. T., Stephen E. L. Lassa virus infection of rhesus monkeys: pathogenesis and treatment with ribavirin. J Infect Dis. 1980 May;141(5):580–589. doi: 10.1093/infdis/141.5.580. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jahrling P. B., Peters C. J., Stephen E. L. Enhanced treatment of Lassa fever by immune plasma combined with ribavirin in cynomolgus monkeys. J Infect Dis. 1984 Mar;149(3):420–427. doi: 10.1093/infdis/149.3.420. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kenyon R. H., Canonico P. G., Green D. E., Peters C. J. Effect of ribavirin and tributylribavirin on argentine hemorrhagic fever (Junin virus) in guinea pigs. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1986 Mar;29(3):521–523. doi: 10.1128/aac.29.3.521. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Maiztegui J. I. Clinical and epidemiological patterns of Argentine haemorrhagic fever. Bull World Health Organ. 1975;52(4-6):567–575. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Maiztegui J. I., Fernandez N. J., de Damilano A. J. Efficacy of immune plasma in treatment of Argentine haemorrhagic fever and association between treatment and a late neurological syndrome. Lancet. 1979 Dec 8;2(8154):1216–1217. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)92335-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. McCormick J. B., King I. J., Webb P. A., Scribner C. L., Craven R. B., Johnson K. M., Elliott L. H., Belmont-Williams R. Lassa fever. Effective therapy with ribavirin. N Engl J Med. 1986 Jan 2;314(1):20–26. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198601023140104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McKee K. T., Jr, Green D. E., Mahlandt B. G., Bagley L. R., Lyerly W. H., Jr, Peters C. J., Eddy G. A. Infection of Cebus monkeys with Junín virus. Medicina (B Aires) 1985;45(2):144–152. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McKee K. T., Jr, Mahlandt B. G., Maiztegui J. I., Eddy G. A., Peters C. J. Experimental Argentine hemorrhagic fever in rhesus macaques: viral strain-dependent clinical response. J Infect Dis. 1985 Jul;152(1):218–221. doi: 10.1093/infdis/152.1.218. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. McKee K. T., Jr, Mahlandt B. G., Maiztegui J. I., Green D. E., Peters C. J. Virus-specific factors in experimental Argentine hemorrhagic fever in rhesus macaques. J Med Virol. 1987 Jun;22(2):99–111. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890220202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Oubiña J. R., Carballal G., Videla C. M., Cossio P. M. The guinea pig model for Argentine hemorrhagic fever. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1984 Nov;33(6):1251–1257. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1984.33.1251. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Peters C. J., Jahrling P. B., Liu C. T., Kenyon R. H., McKee K. T., Jr, Barrera Oro J. G. Experimental studies of arenaviral hemorrhagic fevers. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1987;134:5–68. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-71726-0_2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Wannarka G. L., Stephen E. L., Canonico P. G. Preclinical evaluation of monkeys of a ribavirin regimen proposed for use in Lassa fever patients. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1982 Jun 15;64(1):155–159. doi: 10.1016/0041-008x(82)90334-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Weissenbacher M. C., Calello M. A., Colillas O. J., Rondinone S. N., Frigerio M. J. Argentine hemorrhagic fever: a primate model. Intervirology. 1979;11(6):363–365. doi: 10.1159/000149059. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Weissenbacher M. C., Calello M. A., Merani M. S., McCormick J. B., Rodriguez M. Therapeutic effect of the antiviral agent ribavirin in Junín virus infection of primates. J Med Virol. 1986 Nov;20(3):261–267. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890200308. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Weissenbacher M. C., Grela M. E., Sabattini M. S., Maiztegui J. I., Coto C. E., Frigerio M. J., Cossio P. M., Rabinovich A. S., Barrera Oro J. G. Inapparent infections with Junin virus among laboratory workers. J Infect Dis. 1978 Mar;137(3):309–313. doi: 10.1093/infdis/137.3.309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Weissenbacher M. C., Sabattini M. S., Avila M. M., Sangiorgio P. M., de Sensi M. R., Contigiani M. S., Levis S. C., Maiztegui J. I. Junin virus activity in two rural populations of the Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF) endemic area. J Med Virol. 1983;12(4):273–280. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890120407. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Weissenbacher M. C., de Guerrero L. B., Boxaca M. C. Experimental biology and pathogenesis of Junin virus infection in animals and man. Bull World Health Organ. 1975;52(4-6):507–515. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. de Guerrero L. B., Boxaca M., Weissenbacher M., Frigerio M. J. Infección experimental del cobayo con virus Junin. Cuadro clínico, diseminación y eliminación del virus. Medicina (B Aires) 1977 May-Jun;37(3):271–278. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES