Ivermectin inhibits replication of the malignant catarrhal fever virus alcelaphine herpesvirus 1.

Malignant catarrhal fever is a lymphoproliferative disease of cattle and other ungulates that is caused by genetically and antigenically related gamma herpesviruses of the genus Macavirus. Infection of the natural host species is efficient and asymptomatic but spread to susceptible hosts is often fatal with clinical signs including fever, depression, nasal and ocular discharge. There is no recognised treatment for MCF but a vaccine for one MCF virus, alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1), has been described.