E-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine vs. interferon in the systemic treatment of infection with herpes simplex virus of athymic nude mice.

The effects of systemic administration of E-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU) and interferon (IFN)--mouse IFN type I (MuIFN-alpha plus -beta), mouse IFN type II (MuIFN-gamma), and polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid (an IFN inducer)--on the development of herpetic skin lesions and associated mortality were studied in athymic nude (nu/nu) mice inoculated intracutaneously with herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 (strain KOS). BVDU was given intraperitoneally or orally at dosages of up to 5 mg per mouse per day; IFN and polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid were given intraperitoneally at dosages of up to 10(6) units per mouse per day and 100 microgram per mouse per day, respectively. Under conditions in which BVDU effectively suppressed the progression of the disease, IFN and polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid failed to suppress the disease. Thus, BVDU was superior to IFN in the treatment of HSV infection in immunologically compromised mice.