| abstract |
A newly discovered family of AIDS-associated viruses, designated ARV, is described. The viruses were isolated from AIDS patients from San Francisco and (a) are type D retroviruses; (b) have Mg++-dependent reverse transcriptase activity; (c) induce human multinucleated cells without immortalizing the cells; (d) are replicable in HUT-78 human T cells; and (e) induce viral protein(s) in HUT-78 that binds to Ig from AIDS patients. The infected HUT-78 cells and immunogenic polypeptides derived from the viruses are useful for diagnosing AIDS. |