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The combined antiviral effects of various 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides and ribavirin on the replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in MT-4 cells have been examined. Ribavirin antagonized the antiviral activity of the pyrimidine 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides (3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine, 2',3'-dideoxythymidin-2'-ene, 2',3'-dideoxycytidine, and 2',3'-dideoxycytidin-2'-ene), but enhanced the antiviral activity of the purine 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides (2',3'-dideoxyadenosine and 2',3'-dideoxyguanosine). Combinations of the 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides with each other were also examined. These combinations resulted in an additive to subsynergistic effect.

MG-63 cells, a line derived from an osteosarcoma, produced high yields of interferon after superinduction with polyinosinic acid·polycytidylic acid, cycloheximide, and actinomycin D. Advantages of MG-63 cells over diploid fibroblasts as a substrate are: no requirement for aging between confluency and induction, no requirement for priming, and 3.7-fold higher yields per square centimeter of culture surface. Physicochemically and biologically, MG-63 cell interferon resembles fibroblast rather than leukocyte interferon.

A study of the structure-activity relationship of a series of newly synthesized phosphonylmethoxyalkyl purine and pyrimidine derivatives revealed that several adenine derivatives substituted at the N9 position by a 2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl (PME) group inhibited human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced cytopathogenicity and HIV antigen expression in vitro at concentrations significantly below the toxicity threshold for the host cells. In terms of anti-HIV potency in MT-4 cells, the PME 2,6-diaminopurine derivative (50% effective dose [ED50], 1 microM) ranked first, followed by the PME adenine derivative (ED50, 2 microM [MT-4]) and the PME 2-monoaminopurine derivative (ED50, 45 microM). Antiretroviral activity was also demonstrated in ATH8 and H9 cells, which were de novo infected with HIV, and extended to C3H mouse fibroblasts infected with Moloney murine sarcoma virus. Unlike 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine, these compounds were not found to be degraded by deaminases derived from bovine intestine.

ABSTRACTWe report the development of a new group of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). One of the most active congeners of this series of 1,1,3-trioxo-2H,4H-thieno[3,4-e][1,2,4]thiadiazine (TTD) derivatives, i.e., 2-(3-fluorobenzyl)-4-cyanomethylen-1,1,3-trioxo-2H,4H-thieno[3,4-e][1,2,4]thiadiazine) (QM96639) was found to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 [HIV-1 (IIIB)] replication in MT-4 cells at a concentration of 0.09 μM. This compound was toxic for the host cells only at a 1,400-fold higher concentration. The TTD derivatives proved effective against a variety of HIV-1 strains, including those that are resistant to 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (AZT), but not against HIV-2 (ROD) or simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV/MAC251). HIV-1 strains containing the L100I, K103N, V106A, E138K, Y181C, or Y188H mutations in their reverse transcriptase (RT) displayed reduced sensitivity to the compounds. Their cross-resistance patterns correlated with that of nevirapine. 2-Benzyl-4-cyanomethylen-1,1,3-trioxo-2H,4H-thieno[3,4-e][1,2,4]thiadiazine (QM96521) enhanced the anti-HIV-1 activity of AZT and didanosine in a subsynergistic manner. HIV-1-resistant virus containing the V179D mutation in the RT was selected after approximately six passages of HIV-1 (IIIB) in CEM cells in the presence of different concentrations of QM96521. From structure-activity relationship analysis of a wide variety of TTD derivatives, a number of restrictions appeared as to the chemical modifications that were compatible with anti-HIV activity. Modelling studies suggest that in contrast to most other NNRTIs, but akin to nevirapine, QM96521 does not act as a hydrogen bond donor in the RT-drug complex.

All of 37 recent human isolates of Edwardsiella tardawere resistant to colistin. All strains were resistant to 6.3 µg of sodium colistimethate per ml; 82% of them were resistant to 100 µg/ml. With 34 Salmonellastrains, the average minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 1.6 µg of sodium colistimethate per ml. There was virtually no overlapping of MIC values between both groups of bacteria. Using the Kirby-Bauer method and 10-µg colistin disks, inhibition zone diameters were less than 11 mm for all Edwardsiellastrains, and larger for all Salmonellastrains. An atypical, mannitol-fermenting strain of E. tardawas resistant to colistin. It is concluded that E. tardais naturally resistant to colistin, that this property may be helpful in differentiation, and that colistin should be tried in enrichment and selective media for the isolation of E. tarda. It was also observed that, under conditions as described, all strains of E. tardawere susceptible to streptomycin and to novobiocin, whereas all strains of Salmonellawere resistant.