In Antiviral Methods and Protocols, experienced scientists describe-in an easily-followed format-their state-of-the-art techniques for evaluating antiviral compounds. The assays described include systems for investigating drugs used against herpesviruses, hepatitis viruses, human immunodeficiency viruses, human papillomaviruses, and influenza viruses. These well-tested methods range from cellular assays to some of the most up-to-date molecular approaches for identifying compounds that are active against viral enzymes and the development of viral resistance against drugs currently in use. The detailed protocols also discuss possible pitfalls and ways to overcome them.Timely and comprehensive, Antiviral Methods and Protocols offers today's researchers in academia, clinical departments, and the pharmaceutical industry the powerful, reproducible, and novel methods needed to evaluate compounds effective against both acute and chronic infections.

Changing Methods for Discovering Antiviral Drugs.- Changing Methods for Discovering Antiviral Drugs.- Laboratory Safety Considerations.- Laboratory Safety Considerations.- Routine Quality Control Testing of Cell Cultures.- Routine Quality Control Testing of Cell Cultures.- Hepatitis Virus.- Hep AD38 Assay.- Hepatitis B Virus Cell Culture Assays for Antiviral Activity.- A Rapid Microtiter Assay for Duck Hepatitis Virus Reverse Transcriptase.- Assays for Measuring Hepadnaviral Supercoiled DNA.- Assays for Hepatitis B Virus DNA-and RNA-Dependent DNA Polymerase Activities.- Development of a Hepatitis C Virus RNA Helicase High Throughput Assay.- Herpesvirus.- Determination of Viral Infectivity.- Antiviral Screening Assays for Human Herpesviruses 6 and 7.- Strategies for Evaluation of Antiviral Agents Against Epstein-Barr Virus in Culture.- Monitoring Drug Resistance for Herpesviruses.- Herpesvirus Protease Assays.- Human Immunodeficiency Virus.- Testing Compounds for Antiviral Activity in Cell Cultures Infected with HIV.- Evaluation of Compounds That Prevent Reactivation of HIV-1 in OM-10.1 Cells.- Assessment of Activity of Topical Virucidal Agents.- Assays That Measure Selective Killing of Virus-Infected Cells.- Evaluating Clinical Isolates for Their Phenotypic and Genotypic Resistance Against Anti-HIV Drugs.- Line Probe Assay for Detecting Mutations in HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase.- RT-PCR for Amplification of Specific Fragments of HIV-1 Genome.- Evaluation of Compounds Against Recombinant HIV Reverse Transcriptase.- Ultrasensitive Detection of Reverse Transcriptase Activity by the Amp-RT Assay.- Reverse Transcriptase Assay Based on Product Enhancement for Assessing the Drug Susceptibility of Retroviruses.- Identifying and Characterizing HIV Protease Inhibitors.- RetroviralIntegrase.- Human Papilloma Virus.- Papillomavirus DNA Replication.- Quantitative Immunodetection of Viral Oncoprotein Levels in Human Papillomavirus-Transformed Human Cells.- Influenza Virus.- Biochemical Methods for the Characterization of Influenza Viruses with Reduced Sensitivity to 4-Guanidino-Neu5Ac2en.- Virological Methods for the Generation and Characterization of Influenza Viruses with Reduced Sensitivity to 4-Guanidino-Neu5Ac2en.