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Pharmacological Inhibition of Infectivity of HTLV-III in Vitro¹

Clinical Oncology Program [H. M., S. M., S. B.] and Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology [M. E. H.], National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20205

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a pandemic immunosuppressive disease that predisposes to life-threatening opportunistic infections and unusual forms of neoplasms. A recently discovered member of the human T-lymphotrophic virus (HTLV) family, designated HTLV-III, has been shown to be the etiological agent of AIDS. We have shown previously that a trypanosomicidal drug, suramin, can block the in vitro infectivity and cytopathic effect of HTLV-III at doses that are attainable in human beings. In the present work we report our findings that suramin can block the cytopathic effect of HTLV-III even after a defined exposure of the target helper/inducer T-cells to the virus and that the T-cells protected by suramin remain immunologically functional.