Virology
Volume 329, Issue 1, 10 November 2004, Pages 11-17
Bruno Sainz Jr. , Eric C. Mossel, C. J. Peters, Robert F. Garry
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) synergizes with IFN-α/β to inhibit the replication of both RNA and DNA viruses. We investigated the effects of IFNs on the replication of two strains of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). While treatment of Vero E6 cells with 100 U/ml of either IFN-β or IFN-γ marginally reduced viral replication, treatment with both IFN-β and IFN-γ inhibited SARS-CoV plaque formation by 30-fold and replication by 3000-fold at 24 h and by > 1 × 105-fold at 48 and 72 h post-infection. These studies suggest that combination IFN treatment warrants further investigation as a treatment for SARS.
Keywords
Coronavirus, Interferon-gamma, Interferon-beta