title: West African HIV-2-related human retrovirus with attenuated cytopathicity.
abstract: Clinical and seroepidemiological studies in West Africa indicate that human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) is widespread and associated with immunodeficiency states of variable degree. In this study, an isolate of HIV-2 from a patient in Senegal was molecularly cloned and characterized. This isolate (HIV-2ST) was shown by hybridization and restriction enzyme analysis to be more related to the prototype HIV-2ROD than to other human or primate retroviruses. Cultures of HIV-2ST showed genotypic polymorphism, and clones of the virus had transmembrane envelope glycoproteins of 30 and 42 kilodaltons. Unlike other immunodeficiency viruses, HIV-2ST did not cause cell death or induce cell fusion in peripheral blood lymphocytes or in any of four CD4+ cell lines tested. Although HIV-2ST entered cells by a CD4-dependent mechanism and replicated actively, cell-free transmission of the virus was retarded at the level of cell entry. These findings suggest that immunodeficiency viruses prevalent in West African populations are members of the HIV-2 virus group and that certain strains of this virus have attenuated virulence.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
authors: L I
authors: LI
authors: Kong
authors: S W
authors: SW
authors: Lee
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Kappes
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Parkin
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Decker
authors: J A
authors: JA
authors: Hoxie
authors: B H
authors: BH
authors: Hahn
authors: G M
authors: GM
authors: Shaw
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006678:HIV / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D012675:Senegal; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral