Selection of influenza virus resistant to the novel camphor-based antiviral camphecene results in loss of pathogenicity.

Due to the ability of influenza virus to develop drug resistance, the search for novel antivirals is an important goal of medical science and health care systems. We assessed the ability of the influenza virus to develop resistance to the hemagglutinin inhibitor camphecene and characterized laboratory-selected resistant strains. We showed by electron microscopy that camphecene decreases the number of virions fusing their envelopes with endosomal membranes.