Efficacy of acyclovir against mouse cytomegalovirus in vivo

Abstract

Acyclovir reduced mortality and organ virus titers in mice inoculated intraperitoneally with 10 50% lethal doses of mouse cytomegalovirus. This susceptibility to acyclovir of a herpesvirus which lacks thymidine kinase is surprising. Alternative phosphorylating enzymes may account for this susceptibility.