Isolation of a lymphadenopathy-associated virus from a patient with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

A virus similar to the lymphadenopathy-associated virus or human T-lymphotropic virus type III, which has been described in association with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) by several laboratories elsewhere in the world, was isolated from a Cape Town patient with lymphadenopathy and acquired immune deficiency. This virus has the characteristic morphogenesis and ultrastructure and its genome encodes the virus-specific p24 protein. It is T-lymphotropic and produces the characteristic cytopathic effect. It can be serially propagated in a human lymphocyte line of the T4+ phenotype. This isolate is being used in diagnostic immunofluorescence assays for virus-specific antibodies.