Role of mycoplasma infection in the cytopathic effect induced by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in infected cell lines.
In addition to previously reported tetracycline analogs, other antibiotics known for antimycoplasmal activities inhibited the cytopathic effect in CEM cl13 cells infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) or HIV-2 but were unable to block virus replication. A contaminating mycoplasma was isolated from our CEM cl13 cells and identified as a strain of Mycoplasma fermentans. Following infection of lymphoblastoid (CEM) or promonocytic (U937 and THP1) cell lines with HIV-1, cytopathic effect was observed only in association with mycoplasmal contamination. Moreover, HIV-1 infection of U937 cells after experimental inoculation with a human isolate of M. fermentans led to pronounced cell killing. We have verified that this effect is not merely an artifact caused by arginine and/or glucose depletion in the cell culture medium. These results confirm that mollicutes, in particular M. fermentans, are able to act synergistically with HIV-1 to kill infected cells in some in vitro systems.
Lemaître
M
M
Viral Oncology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Henin
Y
Y
Destouesse
F
F
Ferrieux
C
C
Montagnier
L
L
Blanchard
A
A
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D054303:HIV Reverse Transcriptase; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000382:microbiology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000032:analysis
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D054303:HIV Reverse Transcriptase; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase