Pharmacological inhibition of infectivity of HTLV-III in vitro.

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.