Protective effect of 6-MFA, a fungal interferon inducer against Japanese encephalitis virus in bonnet macaques.

6-MFA, an extract from the fungus Aspergillus ochraceus was administered to 8 bonnet macaques. An equal number of monkeys matched for age, sex and weight received placebo and served as controls. Twenty hours after the administration of the 6-MFA/placebo the monkeys were challenged with an Indian strain of Japanese encephalitis virus by the intranasal route. Signs and symptoms of the disease such as fever, tremors, loss of appetite, dehydration, flaccid paraplegia or quadriplegia were pronounced in all the control monkeys, while in the 6-MFA treated group only two developed symptoms. Virus could be isolated from only one of the 6-MFA treated monkeys on day 6, and from four control monkeys; one each from CSF, spinal cord, blood and from both nasal swab and blood of the fourth monkey. The appearance of HI and N antibodies in 6-MFA treated group was either delayed or completely suppressed. The results indicate that 6-MFA is a potential antiviral agent which can be used to reduce the morbidity and mortality in bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) experimentally infected with Japanese encephalitis virus.