Isolation of a T-Lymphotropic Retrovirus from a Patient at Risk for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Jean-Claude Chermann, F. Rey, M. T. Nugeyre, S. Chamaret, Luc Montagnier
Summary
The authors reported the isolation of a novel retrovirus from a lymph-node biopsy of a patient with lymphadenopathy considered at risk for AIDS. The virus exhibited magnesium-dependent reverse transcriptase activity, budded as a type-C particle, and showed tropism for T lymphocytes, but was antigenically and biologically distinct from the known human T-cell leukemia viruses (HTLV-I/II). This agent—later designated lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV) and subsequently recognized as HIV—was proposed as a candidate cause of AIDS.
Key findings
- A new T-lymphotropic retrovirus with characteristic reverse-transcriptase activity was isolated from a patient with persistent lymphadenopathy at risk for AIDS.
- The isolate was distinct from previously described human retroviruses (HTLV-I/II) in its antigenic and biological properties.
- The findings implicated this novel retrovirus as a possible etiologic agent of AIDS, laying the groundwork for identifying HIV.
Subjects & keywords
Cite this paper
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Jean-Claude Chermann, F. Rey, M. T. Nugeyre, S. Chamaret, & Luc Montagnier (1983). Isolation of a T-Lymphotropic Retrovirus from a Patient at Risk for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6189183
@article{barrsinoussi1983isolation,
author = {Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Jean-Claude Chermann and F. Rey and M. T. Nugeyre and S. Chamaret and Luc Montagnier},
title = {Isolation of a T-Lymphotropic Retrovirus from a Patient at Risk for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)},
journal = {Science},
year = {1983},
doi = {10.1126/science.6189183},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6189183}
}