Reliable isolation of human immunodeficiency virus from cultures of naturally infected CD4+ T cells.

A procedure for reliable and reproducible isolation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from cultures of CD4+ T cells from healthy HIV seropositive individuals is described. Using immunomagnetic cell separation techniques, CD4+ T cells were positively selected from blood or peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 34 HIV infected individuals in CDC group II. The cells were stimulated with beads coated with a monoclonal antibody specific for the T cell receptor alpha/beta dimer and cultured in medium containing recombinant IL 2. HIV was isolated from 100% of the 41 cultures from 34 individuals. As this culture system allows reproducible isolation of HIV from cultures of naturally infected CD4+ T cells in the absence of other autologous or allogeneic cells, it may provide a good test system for the study of factors affecting the replication of HIV at low multiplicities of infection.