Five human immunodeficiency virus type 1 phenotypic variants with different MT-2 cell tropisms correlate with prognostic markers of disease.
OBJECTIVE
We correlated virologic and immunologic parameters of disease progression with cytopathogenicity of HIV isolates.


METHODS
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates from 207 patients with CD4+ cell counts < 500/mm3 were examined for biologic phenotype in MT-2 cells. We used a cross-sectional study design.


RESULTS
Three subtypes of syncytium-inducing (SI) strains with different times of appearance of syncytia formation in cell culture and two subtypes of non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) isolates, with (NSI/MT2+) or without (NSI/MT2-) replicative capacity in MT-2 cells, were identified. Early SI strains were associated with the lowest CD4+ cell counts and the highest levels of viral load, and NSI/MT2- isolates correlated with the highest CD4+ cell counts and the lowest viral loads. Patients with late SI and NSI/MT2+ strains showed minimal differences in immunologic and virologic markers.


CONCLUSIONS
Five HIV phenotypic variants that correlate significantly (P < 0.001) with markers of disease progression were identified.
Nicastri
E
E
Department of Public Health and Cellular Biology, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Ercoli
L
L
Sarmati
L
L
Ventura
L
L
Parisi
S G
SG
Ciapetti
C
C
Montano
M
M
Andreoni
M
M
D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002460:Cell Line; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D018450:Disease Progression; D015726:Giant Cells; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia / Q000821:virology; D014779:Virus Replication