Evaluation of the effectiveness of 2H-1,3-oxazine-2,6(3H)-dione (oxauracil) in the treatment of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-induced acute encephalitis in mice.

Treatment of suckling mice with the pyrimidine analogue 2H-1,3-oxazine-2,6(3H)-dione (oxauracil) proved successful in reducing mortality associated with HSV-2-induced encephalitis. Oxauracil did not decrease mortality associated with HSV-1 infection; however, there was an increased survival time and a decrease in the amount of infectious virus recovered from the brains of HSV-1-infected animals.