Biologic heterogeneity of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) strains

Seven HIV-2 isolates recovered from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients from the Ivory Coast have been biologically characterized. All seven strains replicated well in primary human lymphocyte and macrophage cultures and in established human T cell lines. They showed differences in infectivity and replicating ability in primary PBMC cultures from chimpanzees, rhesus macaques, and baboons. Moreover, variations in levels of virus replication in PBMC from 13 seronegative donors were observed. Four strains (UC2, UC3, UC7, and UC8) were highly cytopathic and caused extensive surface CD4 antigen depletion in acutely infected PBMC and SupT1 cells. Two strains (UC1 and UC6) showed minimal or no cytopathology, no CD4 down-modulation, and much lower levels of virus protein expression in SupT1 cells. These findings reflect the heterogeneity of HIV-2 strains and suggest that these biological properties could influence pathogenesis in the host.