METHOD FOR DETECTION OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS AND CELL LINES USEFUL THEREFOR

摘要

A method provided for assaying for human immunodeficiency virus comprises: seeding dishes with cells susceptible to HIV infection; adding to the dishes a sample to be tested for HIV infection; incubating the cells; exposing the cells to a first antibody reactive with HIV proteins; exposing the cells to marker-conjugated antibody reactive with the first antibody; examining the dishes with a suitable microscope; and counting the number of foci of marker-positive cells per dish to determine the number of infected cells in the dish. The process can be used to detect and to quantify HIV-infected cells, which permits monitoring of the effects of drug therapy on the levels of HIV expression in AIDS patients, as well as providing a quantitative measure of HIV expression in asymptomatic HIV antibody-positive individuals.