Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Assays for the Identification of Novel Antivirals against Bluetongue Virus
Published on: October 11, 2013
Antiviral effect of lithium chloride on feline calicivirus in vitro
Hongxia Wu1, Xiaozhan Zhang1, Chunguo Liu1
1State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 427 Maduan Street, Nangang District, Harbin, 150001, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a highly contagious pathogen that causes oral and upper respiratory tract disease in cats. Despite widespread vaccination, the prevalence of FCV remains high. Furthermore, a high gene mutation rate has led to the emergence of variants, and some infections are lethal. To date, there is no effective antiviral drug available for treating FCV infection. Here, we show that lithium chloride (LiCl) effectively suppresses the replication of FCV strain F9 in Crandell-Reese feline kidney (CRFK) cells. The antiviral activity of LiCl occurred primarily during the early stage of infection and in a dose-dependent manner. LiCl treatment also inhibited the cytopathic effect. LiCl treatment exhibited a strong inhibitory effect against a panel of other two reference strains and two recent FCV isolates from China. These results demonstrate that LiCl might be an effective anti-FCV drug for controlling FCV disease. Further studies are required to explore the antiviral activity of LiCl against FCV replication in vivo.
