Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive sera obtained shortly after seroconversion neutralize autologous HIV type 1 isolates on primary macrophages but not on lymphocytes.

The aim of this study was to analyze the role of humoral immunity in early human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. As neutralizing activities in HIV-positive sera are rarely detectable earlier than 9 to 12 months after infection using primary lymphocytes as target cells in neutralization assays, humoral immunity is generally thought not to contribute significantly to early virus control in the patients. Besides lymphocytes, cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage are known to be important target cells for HIV in vivo during the establishment of the infection.

Selection of HIV-1 genotypes by cultivation in different primary cells.

Objectives: To determine the representation of particular HIV-1 genotypes during cultivation in different primary cell-culture systems compared with the spectrum of the quasispecies in vivo.

Methods: Primary isolates of HIV-1 were recovered by isolation in cultures of lymphocytes, mixed mononuclear cells (MNC), and monocytes/macrophages. Nucleotide sequence determination of the C2-V3 region of gp120 of HIV was performed on 10-20 independently isolated clones derived by polymerase chain reaction from the culture systems, the uncultured peripheral blood MNC (PBMC) as well as plasma.