[Determination of HIV infection in human bones]

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is harboured not only in lymphocytes and macrophages but also in other cells, e.g. brain cells. Hence, it is not surprising that HIV-1 is also present in bone of HIV-infected individuals. Here we present an assay system for detection of the virus in human bone pieces in vitro. Bone pieces (i) from uninfected individuals, which had been incubated with cell-free virus preparations or cells producing the virus, or (ii) from and AIDS patient were used. These specimens were coincubated with CEM cells, which in turn became infected; the infection was traced immunocytochemically and enzymatically. In addition, we show that infection of CEM cells by HIV-1 from bone of an AIDS patient in vitro can be blocked by Sulfoevernan, a compound recently discovered by our group.