Rhodanine: a selective inhibitor of the multiplication of echovirus 12.

A search for compounds which have previously unrecognized antiviral activity led to the discovery that rhodanine inhibits the multiplication of echovirus 12 and also the development of virus-induced morphologic changes. Eighteen derivatives and analogs of rhodanine were synthesized and tested against echovirus 12. These compounds were considerably less active than rhodanine or were inactive, and some of them were more toxic to the host cells than rhodanine.