Frequent detection and isolation of cytopathic retroviruses (HTLV-III) from patients with AIDS and at risk for AIDS

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 224; no. 4648; p. 500
• Main Authors: Gallo, R C, Salahuddin, S Z, Popovic, M, Shearer, G M, Kaplan, M, Haynes, B F, Palker, T J, Redfield, R, Oleske, J, Safai, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 04.05.1984
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - blood; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - microbiology; Adult; Antigens, Viral - analysis; Cells, Cultured; Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; Deltaretrovirus - isolation & purification; Deltaretrovirus - physiology; Deltaretrovirus - ultrastructure; Female; Homosexuality; Humans; Immune Sera - pharmacology; Interferon Type I - immunology; Male; Risk; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase - metabolism; T-Lymphocytes - microbiology
• ISSN: 0036-8075
• DOI: 10.1126/science.6200936

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or with signs or symptoms that frequently precede AIDS (pre-AIDS) were grown in vitro with added T-cell growth factor and assayed for the expression and release of human T-lymphotropic retroviruses (HTLV). Retroviruses belonging to the HTLV family and collectively designated HTLV-III were isolated from a total of 48 subjects including 18 of 21 patients wih pre-AIDS, three of four clinically normal mothers of juveniles with AIDS, 26 of 72 adult and juvenile patients with AIDS, and from one of 22 normal male homosexual subjects. No HTLV-III was detected in or isolated from 115 normal heterosexual subjects. The number of HTLV-III isolates reported here underestimates the true prevalence of the virus since many specimens were received in unsatisfactory condition. Other data show that serum samples from a high proportion of AIDS patients contain antibodies to HTLV-III. That these new isolates are members of the HTLV family but differ from the previous isolates known as HTLV-I and HTLV-II is indicated by their morphological, biological, and immunological characteristics. These results and those reported elsewhere in this issue suggest that HTLV-III may be the primary cause of AIDS.