Virucidal and antiviral results of Thymus vulgaris important oil on feline coronavirus

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Res Vet Sci. 2021, April 22; 137: 44-47. doi: 10.1016 / j.rvsc.2021.04.024. Online before printing.

ABSTRACT

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal systemic disease of cats caused by a coronavirus (CoV) (FIPV). Despite its clinical relevance and cat health implications, therapeutic options for treating FIP in cats are currently limited. The emergence of SARS coronavirus (CoV) type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which can infect a wide range of animal species including cats, sparked interest in the development new molecules with antiviral activity for the treatment of CoV infections in humans and animals. Essential oils (EOs) have received significant attention due to their antiviral properties that incorporate and, in some cases, replace traditional drugs. Thymus vulgaris EO (TEO) has previously been shown to be effective against several RNA viruses, including CoVs. In the present study, the antiviral efficacy of TEO against FIPV was evaluated in vitro. TEO with 27 μg / ml was able to inhibit virus replication with a significant reduction of 2 log10 TCID50 / 50 μl. In addition, virucidal activity was determined using TEO at 27 and 270 µg. g / ml above the cytotoxic threshold, with a reduction in virus titer of up to 3.25 log10 TCID50 / 50 µg. l up to 1 h contact time was determined. These results open up different perspectives with regard to future applications and therapeutic options for coronaviruses, as FIPV infection in cats could be a potential model for the investigation of antivirals against CoVs.

PMID: 33932822 | DOI: 10.1016 / j.rvsc.2021.04.024