Effect of desferrioxamine B, a metal chelating agent, on rhabdovirus multiplication

It has been suggested that the antiviral activity shown by chelating agents towards different viruses is probably related to the action on viral nucleic acid polymerases which require metal ions as essential cofactors. Desferrioxamine B, a metabolite from Streptomyces pilosus which chelates ions (Fe3+, Al3+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Co2+) from intracellular and external compartments, has been tested for its activity on the multiplication of VSV and rabies virus in CER cells. While desferrioxamine B was ineffective on rabies virus multiplication, it was shown to reduce plaque formation, cytopathic effect and viral yield by VSV at both low and high multiplicity of infection. The activity of the drug was not due to a direct action on virions outside the cells, but was probably related to an alteration in the delicate balance of intracellular ions which could in turn be critical for VSV multiplication.