TABLE 2.

Effects of topical treatments given twice daily for 3 days and initiated at different times postinfection on viral titers in skin samples from the snout and in ipsilateral trigeminal ganglia^a

Time of initiation of treatment	Treatment group	Viral titers (mean log PFU/g of tissue ± SD)		No. of mice with virus at the following site/total no. of mice
		Skin	Ipsilateral ganglia	Skin	Ipsilateral ganglia
6 h postinfection	Untreated	5.06 ± 1.18	5.20 ± 1.57	7/8	8/8
	Gel alone	5.46 ± 1.07	6.14 ± 0.81	8/8	8/8
	Gel + 5% SLS	5.32 ± 1.02	6.60 ± 0.85	8/8	7/8
	Gel + 3% foscarnet	4.26 ± 0.58	3.42 ± 0.21b	3/7b	2/7b
	Gel + 3% foscarnet + 5% SLS	3.65 ± 0.72b	4.64 ± 1.11c	5/8b	3/8b
24 h postinfection	Untreated	6.18 ± 0.52	6.83 ± 0.54	8/8	7/7
	Gel alone	6.43 ± 0.52	6.96 ± 0.84	8/8	8/8
	Gel + 5% SLS	6.25 ± 0.63	7.24 ± 0.48	8/8	8/8
	Gel + 3% foscarnet	5.65 ± 0.61	6.37 ± 1.17	8/8	8/8
	Gel + 3% foscarnet + 5% SLS	3.78 ± 0.87b	5.94 ± 0.84	4/8b	7/8
48 h postinfection	Untreated	5.83 ± 0.82	4.68 ± 1.40	8/8	7/8
	Gel alone	5.82 ± 0.80	6.08 ± 1.41	7/8	8/8
	Gel + 5% SLS	6.08 ± 0.82	6.14 ± 0.88	8/8	8/8
	Gel + 3% foscarnet	6.38 ± 1.02	6.41 ± 0.76	7/7	8/8
	Gel + 3% foscarnet + 5% SLS	4.82 ± 1.28	5.23 ± 0.55	8/8	8/8

^aFor treatment initiated 6 and 24 h postinfection, mice were killed on day 4 postinoculation, whereas for treatment initiated 48 h postinfection, mice were killed on day 5 postinoculation. 

^bP < 0.01 compared with mice treated with the gel alone. 

^cP < 0.05 compared with mice treated with the gel alone.