[Aprotinin-induced inhibition of pandemic influenza virus A(H1N1) reproduction].

Infectivity of pandemic influenza virus A(H1N1) infectivity is shown to be activated through proteolytic cleavage of hemagglutinin HA0 --> HA1 + HA2 during virus propagation in the human intestinal cell line Caco-2 and chicken embryonated eggs. Injection of aprotinin, a natural serine protease inhibitor, into the liquid culture or allantoic cavity of chicken embryos inhibited the proteolysis of the viral HA0 and suppressed the proteolytic activation of the synthesized virus and its multicycle replication. These data allow aprotinin to be recommended as an antiviral drug for the treatment of swine influenza in humans.