Nitazoxanide protects cats from feline calicivirus infection and acts synergistically with mizoribine in vitro

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a highly contagious pathogen that causes acute upper respiratory infections and oral disease in cats, thus seriously endangering feline health. Recently, there have been outbreaks of particularly virulent variant strains of FCV, which can cause both acute symptoms and fatal systemic disease. The discovery of effective antiviral agents to treat FCV infection is, therefore, gradually assuming increased importance. In this study, we showed that both nitazoxanide and mizoribine had antiviral activity in F81 cells infected with different strains of FCV and also demonstrated a synergistic effect between the two drugs. Experiments in cats challenged with FCV showed that nitazoxanide significantly reduced the clinical symptoms of FCV infection, reduced viral load in the trachea and lungs, and reduced viral shedding. Our results showed that nitazoxanide and mizoribine could potentially be used as therapeutic agents to treat FCV infection.