Effect of amantadine on rhabdovirus infection

Enveloped viruses enter host cells by fusion or viropexis. The latter mechanism is the prevalent entry pathway of rhabdoviruses into susceptible cells. Amantadine, a lysosomotropic agent, inhibits the multiplication of various groups of viruses. The effect of this drug was investigated on vesicular stomatitis virus and rabies fixed virus strain replication in fibroblasts. Amantadine was added to cells before, during and after infection to detect the phase of viral replication affected by the drug. Cells were inoculated with viruses at 4 degrees C and the incubation temperature was progressively raised to 37 degrees C in order to observe the effect of amantadine on attachment and early stages of viral replication. Experimental results indicated that the compound inhibited rhabdovirus infection in CER cells. Viral attachment and penetration did not appear to be affected by the drug, while later steps were inhibited, probably at the level of uncoating when the virus is released from the lysosomes into the intracytoplasmic compartment.