Acyclovir

Publication date: October–December 2013 Source:Pediatric Infectious Disease, Volume 5, Issue 4 Author(s): Parang Mehta Acyclovir is one of the oldest antiviral drugs, having been in use for three decades now. It is an acyclic guanosine derivative and has activity mainly against herpes virus-1 (HSV-1), herpes virus-2 (HSV-2), and varicella zoster virus (VZV). It is only weakly active against Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6), and not used for these infections. It acts by inhibition of viral DNA synthesis. Before it can act, it has to be phosphorylated by virus-specific thymidine kinase. This step gives it a high therapeutic index, but is also a major mechanism of viral resistance.
Source: Pediatric Infectious Disease - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research