title: Quantitative analysis of syncytium-inducing and non-syncytium-inducing virus in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
abstract: Among 75 consecutive human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected patients with moderate and advanced immunosuppression, those harboring syncytium-inducing (SI) HIV-1 had a lower CD(4+)-cell count (145 versus 278 cells per microliter, P < 0.001) and 10-fold-higher virus titers than patients with non-SI HIV-1 (398 versus 39 infectious units per 10(6) CD4+ lymphocytes; P < 0.001). In patients with SI virus, the mean titer of SI virus, determined with a quantitative MT-2 cell assay, was 135 SI infectious units per 10(6) CD4+ lymphocytes. Virus titer correlated inversely with CD(4+)-cell count in patients with SI (r = -0.67) but not non-SI (r = -0.29) virus.
authors.affiliation: Center for AIDS Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Shafer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aguiniga
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Merigan
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D015726:Giant Cells / Q000821:virology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans