Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections [1]. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses [2]. Antiviral drugs are a class of antimicrobials, a larger group which also includes antibiotic (also termed antibacterial), antifungal and antiparasitic drugs or antiviral drugs based on monoclonal antibodies [3, 4] Most antivirals are considered relatively harmless to the host, and therefore can be used to treat infections. They should be distinguished from virucides, which are not medication but deactivate or destroy virus particles, either inside or outside the body. Natural virucides are produced by some plants such as eucalyptus and Australian tea trees [5, 6].

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1. Paintsil E, Cheng YC. Antiviral agents. Encyclopedia of Microbiology. 2019 Aug 28:176.
2. Rossignol JF (2014). "Nitazoxanide: a first-in-class broad-spectrum antiviral agent". Antiviral Res. 110: 94–
3. Rick Daniels; Leslie H. Nicoll. "Pharmacology – Nursing Management". Contemporary Medical-Surgical Nursing. Cengage Learning, 2011. p. 397.
4. Ko K, Tekoah Y, Rudd PM, Harvey DJ, Dwek RA, Spitsin S, Hanlon CA, Rupprecht C, Dietzschold B, Golovkin M, Koprowski H (2003)."Function and glycosylation of plant-derived antiviral monoclonal antibody". PNAS. 100(13): 8013-18 .
5. Schnitzler, P; Schön, K; Reichling, J (2001). "Antiviral activity of Australian tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil against herpes simplex virus in cell culture". Die Pharmazie. 56(4): 343–
6. Moghaddam, E.; et al. Antiviral Active Compounds Derived from Natural Sources. Viruses 2021, 13, 1386.
7. Zumla, A.; Chan, J.F.; Azhar, E.I.; Hui, D.S.; Yuen, K.Y. Coronaviruses—Drug Discovery and Therapeutic Options. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 2016, 15, 327–347.
8. De Clercq, E.; Li, G. Approved Antiviral Drugs over the Past 50 Years. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2016, 29, 695–747.
9. Wang, M.; Cao, R.; Zhang, L.; Yang, X.; Liu, J.; Xu, M.; Shi, Z.; Hu, Z.; Zhong, W.; Xiao, G. Remdesivir and Other Antiviral Compounds Inhibit SAR S-CoV-2 in vitro. Cell Res. 2020, 30, 269–271.
10. Tong J, Trapido-Rosenthal H, Wang J, Wang Y, Li QX, Lu Y. Antiviral activities and putative identification of compounds in microbial extracts from the Hawaiian coastal waters. Marine drugs. 2012 Feb 24;10(3):521-38.

Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections [1]. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses [2]. Antiviral drugs are a class of antimicrobials, a larger group which also includes antibiotic (also termed antibacterial), antifungal and antiparasitic drugs or antiviral drugs based on monoclonal antibodies [3, 4] Most antivirals are considered relatively harmless to the host, and therefore can be used to treat infections. They should be distinguished from virucides, which are not medication but deactivate or destroy virus particles, either inside or outside the body. Natural virucides are produced by some plants such as eucalyptus and Australian tea trees [5, 6].

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Paintsil E, Cheng YC. Antiviral agents. Encyclopedia of Microbiology. 2019 Aug 28:176.
2. Rossignol JF (2014). "Nitazoxanide: a first-in-class broad-spectrum antiviral agent". Antiviral Res. 110: 94–
3. Rick Daniels; Leslie H. Nicoll. "Pharmacology – Nursing Management". Contemporary Medical-Surgical Nursing. Cengage Learning, 2011. p. 397.
4. Ko K, Tekoah Y, Rudd PM, Harvey DJ, Dwek RA, Spitsin S, Hanlon CA, Rupprecht C, Dietzschold B, Golovkin M, Koprowski H (2003)."Function and glycosylation of plant-derived antiviral monoclonal antibody". PNAS. 100(13): 8013-18 .
5. Schnitzler, P; Schön, K; Reichling, J (2001). "Antiviral activity of Australian tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil against herpes simplex virus in cell culture". Die Pharmazie. 56(4): 343–
6. Moghaddam, E.; et al. Antiviral Active Compounds Derived from Natural Sources. Viruses 2021, 13, 1386.
7. Zumla, A.; Chan, J.F.; Azhar, E.I.; Hui, D.S.; Yuen, K.Y. Coronaviruses—Drug Discovery and Therapeutic Options. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 2016, 15, 327–347.
8. De Clercq, E.; Li, G. Approved Antiviral Drugs over the Past 50 Years. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2016, 29, 695–747.
9. Wang, M.; Cao, R.; Zhang, L.; Yang, X.; Liu, J.; Xu, M.; Shi, Z.; Hu, Z.; Zhong, W.; Xiao, G. Remdesivir and Other Antiviral Compounds Inhibit SAR S-CoV-2 in vitro. Cell Res. 2020, 30, 269–271.
10. Tong J, Trapido-Rosenthal H, Wang J, Wang Y, Li QX, Lu Y. Antiviral activities and putative identification of compounds in microbial extracts from the Hawaiian coastal waters. Marine drugs. 2012 Feb 24;10(3):521-38.